<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Sol Omnibus Lucet by baeconandeggs, iexoeris</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24652357">Sol Omnibus Lucet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs'>baeconandeggs</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/iexoeris/pseuds/iexoeris'>iexoeris</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Adventure, Angst, Best-friends to lovers, Dragon-riding, Fantasy, Forced Cross-Dressing Inflicted by Someone Else, HP-inspired elements, Happy Ending, High School, Loss and Regaining of Memories, M/M, Magic, Mentions and Depictions of Death, Mild Cursing, Mild Religious Mentions, Romance, Trains, nerds, slow-burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:27:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>120,676</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24652357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/iexoeris/pseuds/iexoeris</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[Sol Omnibus Lucet - The Sun Shines on Everyone]</p><p>They had never thought of questions like 'What if we want to kill each other because some deity possessed us?' But now, they realize they should have. </p><p> </p><p>Or,</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun is the heir of the Aurorian Kingdom. Chanyeol is his nerdy best-friend. Their life is peaceful.</p><p>Until Baekhyun gets kicked out. Life turns dark. And Chanyeol becomes more than just a best-friend.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Oh Sehun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>96</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>BAE2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>Prompt:</b> BAE885<br/><span class="small"><b>Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.</b> The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.</span></p><p> </p><p><b>Author's Note:</b> While writing this fic, I had always imagined what I'd write in the author's note, but now, as I am actually doing it, my words seemed to have left me. This is going to be just a little long, so bear with me. First and foremost, I'd like to thank the BAE Mods that had to bear with me. I had no idea just how much of a monster SOL would end up becoming. Next, I want to thank the prompter. It was a beautiful prompt, short, crispy, and filled with endless possibilities especially, steampunk. I hope you'd enjoy this. Moving on, I'd thank P. Even though you haven't read it, you're the only one for me here. Our conversations and essays calmed me down, and I pretty much wrote the entire thing for you, so here you go. You have no idea how important you are to me, and I'm not fond of public displays of love, but you're the best thing here. I'm not sure if you'll like it, but yeah. There's tons of you in this. </p><p>Next, thanks to A. You've stuck with me, discussed ideas, helped me build the world. Though you haven't read it either, I hope you'd like this. I'm grateful and I hope our friendship could become stronger. Thanks to I - even though corona got in the way, I appreciate the fact that you tried to be the best beta. There are many more thank-yous left: to my partner for asking me how far along I was with this and cheering me up, to my best friend, to my family, to EXO (stream Candy and Lit)</p><p>Then, thanks to the readers. Even if you're reading till here, or you're determined to read the 120k + monster ahead, I already am grateful. It's not easy to write, it's harder to deal with the fact that your fic was forgotten.</p><p>This fic gains from HP and many other worlds, pieced together by me. I've let my imagination run free, and tried to write a map good enough that you could follow. I'm aware there might be some troubling stuff, but I've tried to balance the fluff and the angst, too.  Even though hard times lay ahead, let's remember, the sun shines on everyone. We're all in this together. </p><p>Love you!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Lies and truth, and the line where they mould</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And give birth to reality, your reality.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But I speak to you the truth of life:</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Everyone is flawed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The greater they shine, the more flaws they hide.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thus, I am the only eternal, the only divine, the only truth</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am Misery.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The sky was like a white sheet, beginning nowhere and ending nowhere. A murder of crows dived into it, swooping downwards and racing above the immortal wheat fields that were alive in colours of yellow and green, swaying and dancing to the quick harmonies of the wind. It was a song that couldn’t be heard… but could be seen. </p><p>The straw overhead ruffled Baekhyun’s brown locks as he ducked out of his cottage. The warm sun embraced him, and the harsh wind scraped against his cloak, causing the silk to flutter around his legs.</p><p>He smiled one last time at his mother, who worked in the kitchen. Her face was lit up in reds and blues cast by the flames of the stove. She nodded at him, when he bowed, her purple shawl cascading down her shoulders in the motion. Her blue eyes were lovely and yet, stern. They silently asked him to leave… and grow.</p><p>So, he did and walked towards the only disturbance in the expanse of the wheat field – an abandoned railway station. He strode through the coarse field, and the chaffs stuck to his long, black cloak. The wind welcomed him in the dance of the wheat field. The smell of wet earth entered through his nostrils, making him feel more connected to… everything.</p><p>With a smile, he stepped towards the dark patch of wilderness from where the tunnel caved in. Moss clung to the muddy walls overhead. Delicately, he drew the ivy curtain aside and hitched his cloak up to enter the abandoned tunnel. The rotten sliders creaked underneath his weight. Just for the heck of it, he stepped onto the rusty iron rails, holding his arms out and balancing himself, laughing in delight at how powerful he felt.</p><p>
  <em>Finally.</em>
</p><p>His eyes fell to a plant that was struggling to bloom in this dark cavern. Bending on his knees, he put his hand above the sweet little plant, and let the magic flow. Immediately, light radiated out of his hand and the shrivelled plant started growing, moist leaves extending out of the green stem. A tiny gust of wind flew through the ivy curtains and he knew that the spirit of the plant had reconnected with its physical form.</p><p>He got up and used his deft hands to climb upon the shaky platform. It wasn’t the first time he was going this. He skipped to the end of the tunnel, enjoying the silky feeling of the rich cloak against his soft skin. Rarely was he presented with the luxury to dress up in elegant and expensive clothes like these when he was at his house.</p><p>Pausing for a second as he reached the end of the tunnel, he took a deep breath and prepared himself.</p><p>
  <em>Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.</em>
</p><p>He pulled the ivy away.</p><p>For a few moments, he stood baffled before the biggest smile ever graced his face.</p><p>The wheat fields and white sky were gone and were instead replaced by magical surroundings. The air was dreamy, and the sun was high and yellow and cast its glow on a beautiful paradise.</p><p>He stepped down onto the first step of the red winding dirt road, jagged by the luscious growth of exotic plants, splinters and woods. The road was lined by trees - beautiful yellow, green, and red trees. Their spirits melted in and out of the bark and laughed, joked, and danced. Birds of thousand colours flew down with books in their beaks, bopping their heads. Pixies, fairies, elves, and dwarves rounded the lakes and bonfires, clapping to the music.</p><p>And the music? It never stopped.</p><p>It came from the city.</p><p>The city was further up, even more beautiful than the forest. From a distance, it appeared as an exquisite piece of magic. The red, yellow, and brown short buildings looked like cupcakes. Books hung on flowery lines between these buildings, joining the whole city as one. Baekhyun couldn’t see the Fountain of Aurora or the Temple but he could hear the orchestra, the jointed sound of so many flutes, the violins and claps of the crowd that never ceased.</p><p>He smiled proudly as he looked down at the only tall building in the city – the Townhall. Red-bricked, with coloured glass panes, and books hanging around just everywhere. He could already smell the city and the forest – the sweet whiff of the bakery, the thick honey, the light cream, and the mountains upon mountains of books.</p><p>After all, the city was called ‘Crosswords’ for a reason.</p><p>He walked down the winding path. The trees and the fairies turned their attention onto him. Their pretty eyes lit up. The oldest tree spirit seeped out of her bark, her dress long and beautiful, and gave him a motherly smile. Baekhyun knew her very well – <em>Ivy. </em>Since he couldn’t speak the language of the trees, he called her by the short name. </p><p>“We’ve missed you, Bringer of Light,” her voice was deep, overflowing with warmth, “Your home awaits you.”</p><p>Baekhyun bowed his head to her, “I’ve missed this place more. It’s my home after all.” There was a smile as soft as the wind playing upon his face, “How have you been?”</p><p>“Why, months pass by so easily for us trees, O’ Bringer of Light,” she mused, “I’ve barely changed.” Her eyes bore into his, as if telling him something. He tilted his head –</p><p>“But?”</p><p>“There’s no but.”</p><p>Baekhyun blinked, “I see.”</p><p>A pixie spoke up, “There <em>is </em>a ‘but.’” Her friends giggled, shoving each other with their cute wings – a fluttering mess of colours. Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, awaiting her explanation –</p><p>“Most of your friends have already left for the academy. They got tired of waiting for you.”</p><p>Baekhyun gasped, “Really?”</p><p>“Yes…only two of them await you: The Earth-Shaker and the Legend of Fire,” she fluttered around, “And they were very impatient too. They are already at the temple.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes traced the city line till the Eastern Horizon where the Temple of Aurora was. He couldn’t see it, but there was a tug in the pit of his stomach. The Temple…was simply a place of comfort, a place where he felt most connected to his <em>other </em>form, the place where he could sink at home. A wistful smile crept up his lips –</p><p>“I suppose I should leave too,” he announced, “Those friends of mine – they aren’t very patient, are they?”</p><p>Ivy chuckled, “The friend closest to you is a fire elemental. He isn’t expected to have the traits of patience engraved in his soul.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded seriously, “All he has engraved in his soul is nerdiness.”</p><p>The fairies and pixies laughed, while the dwarves and elves pushed around – <em>what did he say? Come on, let me in on the joke too! </em>It was so amusing. It lightened his heart, made it settle peacefully in his chest. He wondered if that was the effect of Aurora. He looked towards the temple again.</p><p>“I must leave now.” He gave them a guilty smile. The forest dulled down and whines echoed around the forest –</p><p>“Heir of Aurora, spend some time with us!”</p><p>“We won’t see you until you depart back home. It upsets us.”</p><p>Baekhyun laughed lightly and raised his hand. A familiar tingle weaved up his arm, setting off vibrations in his metallic wristband and light spilt from his fingers, projecting beautiful orbs of different colours, encompassing the area. They floated around and the fairies and pixies gasped and clung onto them. The heavier orbs settled down next to the roots of the trees and the green forest lit up in magical lights.</p><p>“They won’t vanish,” Baekhyun’s voice was a whisper, “Until I am in pain. I’ll leave them here for your disposal, a reminder of my love.” He took his first steps away.</p><p>Ivy laughed, “You’re fantastical, Baekhyun.”</p><p>A red soaked tree spirit seeped out of her tree, “All hail the Heir of Aurora!”</p><p>The crowd joined in on the chant, and with his name echoing around, he walked away. He was a ball of barely contained happiness, just waiting to burst. He was at home, and he never wanted to leave.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The Temple of Aurora was to the East of the Island. Baekhyun had had the pleasure of seeing the sun rising above the Temple. The sight was burnt to his memory.</p><p>The Temple stood for Peace. Aurora, after all, symbolized Peace and it was her spirit that Baekhyun carried. The walls were polished white marble. Ten major pillars were holding the temple up. The ceiling was round and high, with illustrations of people made with stained glass. There was a gap in the ceiling that let sunshine fall upon a central dais where a grand statue stood, constructed with contrasting marble and obsidian. The statue depicted Aurora, holding a sword. She was made of glimmering obsidian, but her dress was marble, and it overflowed, beautiful waves of stone – such amazing art. On her foot, a man built of marble lay, his back hunched. Behind her, another man of marble sat, looking at her sword. </p><p>None of the figurines had faces – no nose, no eyes…just a sheet of white; and black, as in Aurora’s case. Baekhyun found himself staring at the figure for longer than he should. His eyes trailed the marble sword in Aurora’s hand. The stone in the handle and the tip of the sword was obsidian, otherwise, the sword appeared to glimmer brightly under the noon sun.</p><p>It was so grand.</p><p>“O’ Heir of Aurora,” A familiar voice, laced with mirth called out, “Mind giving your friends some attention?”</p><p>Baekhyun peeled his eyes away from the statue and turned towards the source of the voice; Kyungsoo had his arms crossed, his heart-shaped lips tugged up. Behind him, Chanyeol sat on the pavilion, turning the pages of a thick book. Baekhyun shook his head. <em>As always.</em></p><p>He skipped towards the two. His steps were light; there was warmth and frolic in the air, and he was drunk upon it.</p><p>“Kyungsoo.”</p><p>“Baekhyun.”</p><p>They embraced. Kyungsoo’s nose scrunched up, “You’ve gotten even thinner, Byun. Didn’t I tell you to eat properly?”</p><p>Baekhyun laughed loudly, “Well, you weren’t there to cook for me.”</p><p>“That’s why you should learn how to cook.” Still, he smiled as he picked his bag, unzipped it and fished a small container out, “Berry Cake. I baked it earlier today.”</p><p>Baekhyun licked his lips as his hand darted to pick a slice. He took a bite, and the punch of fruit and undercurrent of berries hit him, “It’s <em>really </em>good.”</p><p>“It has to be. After all, I made it.”</p><p>Baekhyun giggled, and his eyes darted to the figure sitting back upon the pavilion, caught up in a world of his own. Chanyeol looked different. His hair was longer – a curly mess of locks upon his huge head. His glasses had slipped down a little from the bridge of his long nose. The boy had tanned and grown, packed with muscles. </p><p>Baekhyun obviously hadn’t.</p><p>“When’s that nerd going to notice me?” Baekhyun sighed, “You’d think he hates me.”</p><p>Kyungsoo snorted, “He was the one who said we should wait for you.”</p><p>Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, “So, <em>you’re </em>the one who hates me.”</p><p>The other shrugged, “I mean, taking the last ride to the Academy isn’t my cup of tea. See? Now we have to wait until sunset for the carriage.”</p><p>“I thought Earth Elementals were supposed to be the patient ones…”</p><p>“You can think?”</p><p>Baekhyun took a deep breath, “If I wasn’t at the Temple of Peace, I would’ve <em>so </em>whipped your ass.”</p><p>“Kinky,” Kyungsoo whistled underneath his breath. For a while, they stared at each other before bursting out in laughter.</p><p>“Oh my god, I missed you so much,” Kyungsoo’s eyes were crescents disappearing under his brows, “Crosswords isn’t the same without you.” Baekhyun’s heart skipped a beat and a drop of melancholy filled the gap. Most of his friends lived in Crosswords; they belonged to this wonderful world… while Baekhyun lived far away from this magical sphere.</p><p>It kind of stung.</p><p>“I’ll greet that nerd too,” Baekhyun wrinkled his nose, “Otherwise, he won’t even realize I’m here.”</p><p>Kyungsoo’s eyes crinkled; he nodded.</p><p>Chanyeol was so immersed in his book, he didn’t even notice Baekhyun approaching. The heir sat on his heels in front of him and delicately reached out to wipe a stray curl away from Chanyeol’s head. The motion caused the other boy to jerk violently and look up with wide, shocked eyes.</p><p>“Baekhyun?”</p><p>Chanyeol relaxed; his eyes lit up and a pretty smile graced his face as he pulled the other into his warm chest. Baekhyun closed his eyes, breathing in his lemony scent…Chanyeol kind of smelt like home too. He was a major part of this image of ‘home’ that Crossword was for him.</p><p>“How have you been?” Chanyeol’s voice had changed too. It was much, much deeper than what Baekhyun remembered; kind of hoarse too, strung by puberty.</p><p>“I’m alive,” Baekhyun chuckled, “And you’re still a nerd.”</p><p>Chanyeol snorted, “I would’ve said you’re still a chubby twelve-year but…you’ve changed a lot.”</p><p>Their eyes met. There was a fleck of hazel in Chanyeol’s eyes, like a comforting sweet pool one could sink into. It was ringed by stronger, darker shades, but the hazel flecks shone under the sunlight. They looked warm.</p><p>Chanyeol blinked, and it was the end of a spell as Baekhyun stepped out of the momentary trance he was in. What just happened? He didn’t understand –</p><p>“Your glasses keep slipping off your nose.” He pointed out randomly.</p><p>“Your eyes are a stronger shade of sea-green now,” Chanyeol said, “…Maybe, because we’re in the Temple of Aurora.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>His sea-green eyes were something that assured people that he was the Heir of Aurora. According to the old scriptures and poems, the guardian of peace had eyes that contained the entire sea in them.</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes definitely did not contain the entire sea inside them, but they <em>were</em> a shade of sea-green, and according to Chanyeol, they looked stronger now.</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes were still fixed upon him.</p><p>“Is there – uhm – something on my face?” He asked lamely.</p><p>“No, you’re good.” Chanyeol licked his lips, but he didn’t say anything.</p><p>“Then why…are you staring?”</p><p>The taller boy blinked, “Oh, I’m sorry, was I?”</p><p><em>Weird</em>... “Yeah.”</p><p>“You’ve just changed a lot,” Chanyeol admitted, “You don’t look like a kid anymore.”</p><p>Baekhyun rolled his eyes, “Well, we’re both adults now.”</p><p>According to the rules of Crosswords, people aged eighteen were adults. Their behaviour would now be surveyed, and they’d start receiving goodwill points. Baekhyun was eighteen; his birthday fell in the summer break, so he could never celebrate it. Poor people…didn’t have the luxury to ‘celebrate.’ Chanyeol was still seventeen; he would age at the end of November, which was a long way from the heat of late June.</p><p>Kyungsoo interrupted the silence between them, “I don’t think I can sit around the temple till sunset. Let’s go to Maple Syrup and get some drinks.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Vivamus, Moriendum Est - Let us live, since we must die</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Sunday, 28 June 2020</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Maple Syrup was what Earthren, people of the Earth, would call a ‘hangout spot’. It was made of tan wood with books piled up for support. There were low, round tables with tablecloths made up of interwoven book covers and pages. Evenly cut, round logs placed around those tables functioned as the chairs. There was a tall book counter in the back – a premium book with a premium meal and so on.</p><p>Baekhyun had never been ‘illiterate.’ There had been a cottage near his when he was younger, and the old man who lived there was often visited by a young man. Baekhyun didn’t know what this young man was named, but he was grateful to him for teaching him the basics of writing. After coming to Crosswords, he had read, and he hadn’t stopped. Nights passed by in the turning of pages, and wide eyes and an open, young heart sought for words; words that consumed him; words that had been symbols before he’d come to understand them.</p><p>Such were people; such were things – they were just the background. There were so many people, so many things that nobody bothered to learn about each and every one of them…and yet, if you were brave enough to try to understand what they meant, the world was magic.</p><p>Magic wasn’t something that was brought, it was something that existed; if only people turned their heads and looked for it.</p><p>“I want Butter Noodles,” Chanyeol mused, “And maybe, the Golden Dust tart?”</p><p>Baekhyun sighed, “It’s been long since I had those sticky rice cakes.” Crosswords had many exclusive delicacies to offer, ranging from food conjured with magic, made by pixie dust and other magical ingredients, and yet, sticky rice cakes had been close to his heart. He’d had it for the first time in Crosswords – it was the first thing he’d eaten here. Before that, he’d never been able to afford rice and it wasn’t easily available. They’d have to walk to the nearby town to get rice…and that wasn’t an easy feat. He hadn’t ever bothered his mother about it. Somehow, sticky rice cakes were something that belonged to Crosswords – they just wouldn’t fit in on the Earth.</p><p>On Earth, he was an adopted child. His mother – Aisha – had found him near the railway tunnel when he was a baby, wailing in the rain. She’d been lonely, left stranded by her husband for she could not bear kids and for her, he’d been a blessing from her God. While Baekhyun wasn’t religious, she was a blessing for him too – so kind, so beautiful, so soft-spoken and yet, so stern. She had respected his race, and taken him to the neighbouring cottages to learn his language.</p><p>“Let’s sit there!” Kyungsoo grabbed his elbow and pulled him to the corner, “There’s a magical map that I wanted to show you.”</p><p>Baekhyun quirked his eyebrow, “Really?”</p><p>“Yeah, look at that.” Kyungsoo pointed towards a map at the edge. The trees and the houses depicted by the map seemed to be more of a picture being recorded by a flying bird rather than a representation by symbols. He could see the movement around the island, people moving, quick landslides, and the rippling of the river. Crosswords was truly beautiful in every sense. It was in a valley, surrounded by huge, tall mountains in the West which lowered down to form shorter hills on the East, just a little further up from the Temple. A sparkling river winded through the Eastern Hills. One of the major tributaries of the river curved in halfway up the hills and headed towards the South, where most of the civilization was. This tributary deposited into the Ocean.</p><p>“Look at the Academy,” Chanyeol said, “It looks tiny.”</p><p>The Academy was further up North. To its North-West were the forests which went on forever before merging in with the tall mountains of the West. The Northern side of Crosswords was plains, upon plains that extended till infinity.</p><p>They didn’t make maps further than that. They didn’t dare cross the Boundary of Peace. Nobody knew what laid outside this small island…and truthfully, why should they care? They were satisfied; they were happy, and they weren’t like the foolish Earthren who was crazy after the complete exploration of Earth, wanting to leave no spot untouched. Here, people were different. Nature had to be respected and boundaries should not be crossed…otherwise, one would end up losing a lot of Goodwill points and would be expelled from Crosswords.</p><p>And nobody would ever wish for that.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> The setting sun looked like an overflowing egg, mixing in with the sky, dripping streaks of orange. It reminded Baekhyun of the Academy’s welcoming feast. There were always half-boiled eggs upon semi-toasted bread. It was truly a treat. The arrival of the evening brought with it the carriage – and no, it wasn’t an Earthren carriage; it was much better.</p><p>With ten interlinked dark-shaded cabins that had a roof like frosted strawberry, and wheels as tall as him, it was a magnificent sight. Yet, the true delight about it was that it was pulled by a dragon; a young, tamed dragon. This particular one was named Freisty, because they couldn’t decide between ‘frosty’ and ‘feisty.’ With red, burning skin and scaly wings, two legs, stronger than pillars, a pair of ice-blue eyes and a sneaky pink tongue, Freisty looked quite…dangerous. But Baekhyun knew her well.</p><p>“Hey, Freisty, look here!” He had to shout and tap Freisty’s nose to get her attention, “Look, I’ve got frosted strawberries.”</p><p>The dragon's blue eyes followed the treat before she lunged for it. Baekhyun was smart enough to step back; sure, Freisty was friendly and tame, but she <em>was </em>a dragon…and he was a human. He didn’t really want to test the limits of her training.</p><p>She swallowed the strawberries in one go and a whizz of steam escaped her mouth as the frost touched the fiery veins. Then, she winked.</p><p>Baekhyun winked back before moving towards the cabins. Only four people could fit in a single cabin, so there were always small skirmishes…and since Baekhyun was a prefect and well, the heir of this place, he was expected to sort them out.</p><p>“Look, Leah and I got to sit together, okay?” Zene, his junior by a year said, “It’s a rite of passage, if I must say.”</p><p>Leah, on the other hand, wasn’t quite bothered. She’d left the ‘fighting’ part to her best friend. They’d been the best-friend ‘goals’ of the school since their first year, although the truth is that they started out as enemies. Baekhyun knew it all, since the two brown girls were also Elementals – they could wield elements too.</p><p>“Hey, Leah!” He called out. The girl looked up; a glimmer in her eyes –</p><p>“I see the Heir is here,” She teased, before straightening up, “Look, I became a prefect too. Now, we match.”</p><p>A badge rested proudly on her coat. Baekhyun gave her a small smile, “Then you should do the part.”</p><p>She sighed, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand fights about seats and useless stuff.”</p><p>“I remember you tried to annihilate my leg when I took your usual seat in the class.”</p><p>“It was an accident.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>She gave him a helpless smile, before her eyes widened, “Oh, how could I forget, Kyungsoo is sitting with other people of Solatium, plus, Jongin. He said you could sit with Chanyeol.”</p><p>Baekhyun was not impressed, “He ditched me?”</p><p>“Basically, yeah.”</p><p>Solatium was the yellow house in Crossword Academy. It stood for comfort. Baekhyun had concluded that it was the house of all the soft and squishy people. His cat-eyed friend, Kim Minseok and Zene were also in the same house.</p><p>Baekhyun made his way to the side where he figured Chanyeol would be. He wasn’t wrong. The taller was never really immersed in crowds. He loved teaching, learning and he could even speak up loud, but Chanyeol didn’t like small talk – something that they had first bonded over. But then, the title of the ‘heir’ put some pressure on Baekhyun’s shoulder to socialize, and he didn’t mind it that much, since nobody at Crosswords was boring or such.</p><p>But sometimes, he wished he could sit in the shadows of Crosswords and look at the light. It was tiring to always be the light. With Chanyeol, he never had to try too hard to be himself. It was easy. It came to him just as breathing.</p><p>“Hey, nerd,” his lips tugged up as he watched the guy sit at the edge of the queue, turning crisp pages, “What are you reading?”</p><p>Chanyeol hummed and turned to the cover page, “It’s called ‘How to teach people the basic decency to not speak while someone is reading.’”</p><p>Baekhyun rolled his eyes, “That’s way too long to fit on the cover.”</p><p>“Magic exists, Byun.”</p><p>“Is that the name of the book?” Baekhyun asked innocently.</p><p>Chanyeol fixed his glasses and put his book down, “Holy Elan. I don’t trust you to be the heir. You’re too dumb.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” the heir smiled, “You can be my smarter counterpart.”</p><p>“No, thank you,” Chanyeol picked the book and continued reading. Baekhyun sighed and sat next to him, resting his head on the taller’s shoulder. Lemony whiffs permeated by a soft buttery smell relaxed him. Baekhyun buried his face deeper –</p><p>“You smell so nice…”</p><p>Chanyeol tensed beneath him, “I think we should get on in the carriage.”</p><p>“Yeah…” Baekhyun yawned, “I feel tired.”</p><p>A soft smile played out on Chanyeol’s lips and he offered Baekhyun a hand which the heir grasped. It was strangely cold, “Let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>They ended up in the carriage with Leah and Zene; thankfully, both of them were quiet, so Baekhyun could just see the city turn into mountains below.</p><p>Yeah, they were flying.</p><p>Dragons were pretty strong. Baekhyun could feel the reverberation of the huge muscular wings flapping, summoning quick gusts of air. There was a pleasant hum underneath his foot, as if an engine was working, when in reality, it was just the magic that kept them balanced. On Earth ‘cart-pullers’ and ‘drivers’ weren’t considered to be part of some <em>great </em>trade but in Crosswords, only the strongest magicians could control dragons while keeping ten carriages balanced.</p><p>It was hard work.</p><p>“Baekhyun, look,” Chanyeol pointed down below, “My house.”</p><p>The heir had been to Chanyeol’s house. The boy belonged to a rich family. His elder sister Yoora lived on Earth. She was a successful curse-breaker. It was naïve of humans to assume that paranormal and unexplainable things such as the Bermuda Triangle could be results of science when it was all just blurring of the boundaries between the magical world and the real world. Chanyeol said that bad things and accidents happened whenever Tempora Miserae crossed – the Time of Misery.</p><p>“Did you know new breeds of giants and dragons were found upon the Western Mountains?” Leah mused, “There’s apparently a rumoured hybrid going around.”</p><p>Chanyeol snorted, “There’s no proof, and I don’t think a giant-dragon hybrid can exist-”</p><p>“Why not-”</p><p>“-without us knowing,” Chanyeol completed with a huff, “You’d think they’d be loud and cause rampage.”</p><p>Leah rolled her eyes, “Giants existed upon those mountains for <em>years </em>and we only found out recently. I’m sure a hybrid can exist.” The girl belonged to House of Wit, Historia, represented by the colour green, and since she was a prefect, it was obvious she had the blood of her house in her veins. Her knowledge wasn’t something that could be taken lightly.</p><p>Baekhyun in general didn’t take anybody <em>lightly. </em>Most of them had <em>lived </em>in Crosswords…while he hadn’t. They ought to know more than him.</p><p>“It’d be weird to think about a giant and a dragon…doing it,” Zene’s eyes were wide, “But like, how do they even do it. Who tops and who-?”</p><p>Leah clasped her hand upon Zene’s mouth, “I don’t think anybody’s interested in finding out about the sexual preferences of giants and dragons.”</p><p>“It’s just biology.”</p><p>“A branch of biology I’d rather not listen to,” Leah said sternly.</p><p>Chanyeol nodded, “I agree. Please spare us the details.”</p><p>Zene sighed, “You guys are a little boring.”</p><p>“Or maybe, you’re a little too interesting,” Leah said. They put up a half-hearted banter for a while and Baekhyun leaned towards Chanyeol –</p><p>“I bet one Almond Wine that they’re dating.”</p><p>Chanyeol wrinkled his nose, “No, they aren’t.”</p><p>“Bet?”</p><p>“No, wait. You always win bets.”</p><p>Baekhyun laughed, “I always win. Period.”</p><p>“Ugh, I so want to see you lose,” Chanyeol was smiling.</p><p>“Maybe, in your dreams,” the heir joked. Suddenly, Chanyeol’s eyes went dark and he hunched his shoulders up –</p><p>“Yeah, maybe.” He stared outside the window as they flew through tall rocky mountains. The wind was stronger there. It ruffled Chanyeol’s messy hair, made it fly around like loose ropes. The moon washed his face in a pale glow and Baekhyun realized just how much Chanyeol had grown. His jaw was stronger now, more defined. His cheeks were hollowed, and his lips were a few shades darker, like burnt butter noodles. There was a slight stubble on his skin, which looked white under the moon. His huge eyes didn’t look comical anymore; in fact, they fitted right in the darkened eye socket. There were slight bags under his eyes. Everything that made Chanyeol look like a baby had changed. His dimple made him look more handsome rather than ‘cute’ and his long ears gave him a peculiar look.</p><p>“Why are you staring?” Chanyeol asked. Baekhyun suddenly remembered when earlier that day he had asked the same question –</p><p>“Nothing. It’s just…” He looked over the window, where the hills finally lowered to show the Academy, “I missed this place, and it’s good to be back.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Crosswords Academy was huge. They were still in the air and Baekhyun was awed by the sight of those beautiful lights on the walls. As the carriage took to the ground, he could see the Academy upfront. There was a moat with sparkling water, over which a suspended bridge had been constructed. There were barbicans on the bridge, and Baekhyun could see light emitting from the place as the guards took watch. Behind the suspended bridge was the drawbridge.</p><p>The carriage jumped as it hit the ground running. They went over the suspended bridge and the drawbridge which had opened for them. It was impossible to leave the Academy just like that, unless you were a guard.</p><p>“Look,” Leah’s eyes were wide, “The wall.”</p><p>The wall was a tall construction, running along the edges of the Academy. Earthren…could enter Crosswords, but to enter the Academy, they had to <em>love </em>this world and yearn for its knowledge.</p><p>Chanyeol had once said – <em>I think it’s just how you meet people. You can be their casual friend, hang out etcetera etcetera…but to actually make them lower their walls, and know them, you have to be willing; you have to keep trying and prove your worth.</em></p><p>Baekhyun had asked – <em>Am I permitted inside your walls?</em></p><p>With a grin, Chanyeol had said – <em>Definitely, Byun. Since the first day I met you.</em></p><p>It was a pleasant memory – as was the case with most memories including Chanyeol. He turned his head to look at the other, “Excited, Park? Once we cross the wall, we’ll be finally in.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes were unfocused – probably because he was occupied with watching the school, “Uh, yeah.”</p><p>The heir let him be and held his breath as they entered the tall gate – the height of five elephants. The last sound he heard was the carriage’s wheel scratching the stone ground, and the hum of magic flowing in his veins.</p><p>Then, it all blacked out.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> He was floating. That was his first thought. He was weightless, as if thrown to space, where gravity didn’t have a hold on him. Everything was pleasant…relaxed; the light-headed feeling after being in an extensive spa therapy – not that he’d ever experienced it.</p><p>The second thing he noticed was light; or the absence of it. It was dark all around. He couldn’t even see himself, but he <em>was </em>there. It was strange…the last time he’d crossed the walls, there had been light all around him. Just as the thought passed his mind, something flickered in the distance. He caught his breath. That must be it. He started to swim towards it…but he was slow. The flickering kept floating away…away – so damn far out of his reach, taunting him, tantalizing him, making despair creep into his mind.</p><p>
  <em>You’ll never reach it. It’s your time to suffer.</em>
</p><p>It wasn’t one voice but rather a joint collection of many voices; all screaming; all in pain. It was miserable.</p><p>What was happening?</p><p>
  <em>Come to us, so-called Heir. I’m not cruel…but I shall cross again. And this time, you’re the victim.</em>
</p><p>He kept swimming, trying to shut the voices out. It wasn’t working. Another wail echoed –</p><p>
  <em>These are the ones who lost the ones they’d loved. You’d join this choir; Oh, I’m not cruel, my boy. I am just the only one who has enough courage to tell you the truth.</em>
</p><p>He stopped. He couldn’t move anymore. He couldn’t –</p><p>The glow was farther away, and the voices were stronger than ever. Light…light – <em>gone? </em>No. No, this can’t be happening.</p><p>A familiar tingle travelled up his arm; it was weak, like a dying candle in the wind. <em>Stay, </em>Baekhyun willed. The tingle became stronger. His stomach hurt; the power was connected right to his centre. The tug in his abdomen became stronger, less bearable and sparks shot off his fingers, like a defective wand. There was fire in his body, and magic in his blood –</p><p>-        And it only intensified.</p><p>There were spots in his vision as the sparks turned into a constant flux of light, and just as he was about to pass out, the world lit up. The last thing he remembered was sparks shooting off and igniting the whole world and a scream –</p><p>
  <em>The cycle will repeat until you –</em>
</p><p>His strained eyelids finally closed, and he gave into unconsciousness.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun woke up with the sensation of cold water dripping down his face; he gasped. His eyes flew open; they were unfocused and blurry and everything was cold. It was then that he realized that there was <em>actually </em>water on his face –</p><p>“W-What?” He spewed, using his sleeve to wipe his face.</p><p><em>“Wipe your tears away,” </em>The words were tapped with magic, and immediately, Baekhyun’s face was dry. Now that he could see clearly, he realized Leah was the one who’d thrown water on him – <em>duh, she was a water elemental – </em>and chanted the spell.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Zene asked – people from Solatium House were really caring after all.</p><p>“I’m fine,” He sighed, “Would’ve been better if your friend hadn’t choked me.”</p><p>Leah narrowed her eyes, “You were unconscious even after we crossed the wall. He’s still…not here.” She pointed towards Chanyeol. The boy was shivering; his body shaking like a leaf. His head was rested against the wall, completely out of the world.</p><p>“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun shrieked, “Why is…he out of it?”</p><p>Zene shook her head, “I…I’ve never heard of people losing consciousness while crossing the wall. Sure, for a moment, we have visions but just after we cross it, we’re back. It only takes like…a moment.” She peeked out of the carriage, “We’re almost approaching the castle. You were out for about five minutes…shaking, shouting.”</p><p>Leah shivered, “It was scary.”</p><p>Baekhyun bit his lip. So, he’d <em>been </em>in that vision. Who was the voice? Why was he a victim? And the last sentence, about the cycle – it was a singular voice. Who was it? Before he could contemplate more, there was a groan beside him. His eyes darted towards the boy next to him – Chanyeol was moving.</p><p>He grabbed the arms of the boy, but Chanyeol shook him off, “N-no…stop.”</p><p>His arms fell.</p><p>Chanyeol opened his eyes and Baekhyun gasped – they were…completely white. Then the boy blinked, and they were back to normal. <em>Had Baekhyun just imagined that?</em></p><p>“Chanyeol, are you okay?” His voice was strong.</p><p>The other boy just nodded, still a bit out of it. Baekhyun grasped one of his hands. It was freezing.</p><p>“Use your fire,” he suggested, “You’re chilly.”</p><p>Chanyeol shook his head, “No, no – I’m fine, it’s okay.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“I’m fine.”</p><p>“What was your vision about?” Baekhyun asked.</p><p>Chanyeol hesitated, “I – I don’t remember.” He was obviously lying. Baekhyun looked subtly at Leah and Zene and decided he’d ask the boy later.</p><p>“All right, whatever you say.”</p><p>The brown girls didn’t say anything; they seemed to have received the message the Chanyeol wasn’t going to spill. Trying not to worry himself more over the strange occurrences, Baekhyun peeked out of the window, watching the Academy come closer. It was basically a castle, with a courtyard in the centre. There were four main towers on the corners, facing different directions. The castle had two passages through the moat on the Eastern Side, connecting it to a half-submerged place. They studied most of the ‘darker’ chants there. The pinnacle was on the Eastern extension too; the North Tower, which had several turrets.</p><p>The Academy was beautiful. Currently, they were crossing the huge fields where games were played, and other events took place. The sky here wasn’t like the sky back at his home; that sky was beautiful, spray-painted with stars…but it was lonely.</p><p>Here, the stars were colourful – green, blue, pink – or so they appeared through all the magic around. Crosswords didn’t have a drop of loneliness in it. There wasn’t any melancholy…it was just life.</p><p>“We’re here.”</p><p>The wheels screeched against the ground before coming to a complete stop. The hum of the magic lowered down and Friesty let out a loud whine. It wasn’t an easy feat for young dragons such as her, but she’d learn.</p><p>The girls stepped down first, waving them goodbye and moving towards their friends. Baekhyun and Chanyeol sat in the dim-lit carriage for a little longer –</p><p>“I…had a vision,” Baekhyun admitted, “It was scary. It was dark…and painful and I don’t understand.”</p><p>He waited for Chanyeol to take a step too; he’d already initiated it.</p><p>The latter sighed, “Baekhyun; I just – look, can we talk about it later?”</p><p>“So, something is going on?”</p><p>Chanyeol jerked up, “What? No, of course not.”</p><p>“You’re not being very convincing.”</p><p>“You’re reading too much into things,” Chanyeol splayed his hands on his lap, “There’s nothing…just nothing.”</p><p>“You sound like you’re convincing yourself,” Baekhyun pointed out, “Hey, you can tell me. We’ve never hid secrets from each other. The vision worried you. I can see that.”</p><p>Chanyeol licked his lips, “How about we talk about it later? I just don’t want…this to be the first conversation of this year.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s shoulders deflated, “Alright, fine. But you have to promise.”</p><p>“I promise.”</p><p>“Swear upon it.”</p><p>Chanyeol sighed again before gripping Baekhyun’s hand in a pinky promise and tapping their conjoined hands with his wand, <em>“Pinky Promise.”</em></p><p>A flickering of pink shot out and the thread wrapped around their hands, before vanishing. Baekhyun smiled as he got up –</p><p>“Let’s go, now. The welcoming ceremony should start soon.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Causa latet, vis est notissima - The cause is hidden, the result is obvious</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Time.</p><p>What was time? It’s an easy question to ask and a hard one to answer.</p><p>Baekhyun thought of time as something that was happening, when nothing else was happening. It’s a parallel undertone, a constant beat, a pen that had once started writing but never run out of ink; it just went on. Things changed – just look at Chanyeol. People found comfort in the things which were still the same; something that they could trust; something that ran parallel to time.</p><p>And for Baekhyun, that thing was Crosswords Academy.</p><p>Kids stepped in, adults stepped out, and yet the academy never changed. The same huge doors greeted him, covered with the flags of the five houses. When he stepped in, the familiar scent of heavy magic and old wood permeated the air. The walls were the same; dark, like an Englishman’s manor. They were coated with magical words; they went on, pages burning into the walls, and vanishing.</p><p>The words were the only thing that changed.</p><p>The tall windows gave way to the beautiful night sky, and the pink, green and blue stars cast light on the walls. Earthren could only see white stars; what a pity. Right in front of Baekhyun, the main corridor extended up to another hallway, in which the dining hall was. For some reason, his heart started beating faster…out of nervousness.</p><p>
  <em>He’ll be there, right?</em>
</p><p>A hand grasped his. Baekhyun knew it was Chanyeol; he traced the familiar hard lines when the other whispered, “Don’t worry. He’ll be there.”</p><p>“I know…” Baekhyun gulped, “He’s also the Headmaster, so he should be…”</p><p>Chanyeol smiled down at him, “And he <em>is </em>also your father.”</p><p>For Baekhyun was an orphan with two parents to whom he wasn’t bound by blood – one was a poor lady, living in a cottage, listening to every one of his words…and the other was the Peacemaker, leader and the Headmaster of the school, who didn’t need to listen to all his words.</p><p>Sometimes, Baekhyun felt like he was a chess-piece. Why? He didn’t know, but for some reason, his life wasn’t his.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>On Earth, they said that a picture was worth a thousand words. So, obviously, it’s better to just put up a picture than a thousand words, right? Words are challenging!</p><p>Well, Crosswords stood up to the challenge. The light walls of the Dining Hall had words too, flying swiftly across. They said that whenever a person looked up to the enchanted walls in times of need, they showed the words which the person wanted to read. Sadly, the walls of the examination room weren’t enchanted.</p><p>The dining hall was beautiful. Big candles were flowing above; a string was tied to the candles, carrying a book. One candle for one person; one book for one person…and it was exactly what people needed. Such was the beauty of Crosswords.</p><p>The tall, white windows let him in the night sky. Out in the garden, fireflies, pixies and fairies were having a fun time, dancing around, making flowers bloom in the pale shades of the moon and the light of a million, colourful stars. They giggled, they squealed. The trees outside hummed a beautiful tune; one that made you feel so great and so small at the same time.</p><p>Baekhyun’s heart was light; he couldn’t stop beaming.</p><p>“Hey, Byun,” Chanyeol called out; his tone was teasing but he had a small smile on his face, “Please don’t start crying.”</p><p>“I won’t,” he lied, “It’s just-” He sighed. Words were beautiful, yet it was so hard to get them out; to speak your mind; to feel the bliss of having your voice swirling around in the myriad of the billion voices.</p><p>How beautiful and rare it is…to even exist.</p><p>His parents might have discarded him for whatever reason. But he was happy that he was born. His eyes fell upon a wall and the words morphed in front of his eyes –</p><p>
  <em>I’d give anything to hear</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You say it one more time</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That the universe was made,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Just to be seen by my eyes.</em>
</p><p>➸</p><p>
  
</p><p>He sat on one of the round tables. They had a cream cloth draped on them; a flower vase; a book for casual reading. He was sitting with his friends – Chanyeol, Kyungsoo and Jongin. Kim Jongin was a tanned man with messy hair, sparkling eyes and a tendency to rock simple cream sweaters. He was in the same house as Chanyeol and him, Aphrodite, the House of Love. He was also an elemental, blessed by the power of teleportation.</p><p>“Park Chanyeol, I’m going to hit you!” Jongin crossed his arms.</p><p>Baekhyun chuckled, “What did he do?”</p><p>“Baekhyun, you won’t believe this guy,” Jongin’s eyes were wide, “He didn’t show his face up throughout the summer vacations. I’m seeing this guy for the first time after last semester.”</p><p>Baekhyun coughed, “Aren’t you guys, like, neighbours?”</p><p>“Yes, we are. Imagine being such a big nerd you don’t step out of your house for <em>months.</em>” Jongin dramatically blew away a strand of hair, “I had to spend the entire summer with Junmyeon, Jongdae and Minseok. It was so irritating.”</p><p>“Did I hear my name?” Jongdae smiled from the next table. He was sitting with Junmyeon, Minseok, Yixing and Sehun. Jongdae, Junmyeon, Minseok and Jongin were cousins and they lived right next to each other. Chanyeol and Sehun also lived around there while Kyungsoo and Yixing lived a little further.</p><p>And Baekhyun, he lived a world apart.</p><p>But they were all the greatest of friends. Minseok, Baekhyun and Jongdae were great friends. They shared the same classes, having the same interests. Junmyeon was also a prefect - for Kratos, the House of Strength. Sehun, Jongin and Yixing were Chanyeol’s hang out buddies.</p><p>And these weren’t the only links they had; they were a messy friend group but Baekhyun was grateful. His English wasn’t impressive, so it was also convenient to have Korean-speaking friends.</p><p>“Yes, you did,” Jongin spoke, looking at Jongdae, “I said you were irritating.”</p><p>Jongdae looked at Kyungsoo with a wicked smile, “Jongin, darling, do you want me to tell your boyfriend some embarrassing summer recounts?”</p><p>Jongin snorted, “Go ahead, but I’ll remind you that I have my fair collection of stuff too…and I share classes with your girlfriend.”</p><p>That successfully shut Jongdae up.</p><p>As Baekhyun had said, there were some messy links that his friend group had.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The Welcoming Dinner was special because of the Parade of the Faculty. Crosswords had a great variety of staff, ranging from humans to dwarves and pixies. The parade was led by the Headmaster and the second-in-charge, Elan and Germania Grendel. The latter was the Advanced Chants professor; a confident soul backing away from nothing. Her grey hair fell down her back gracefully; her dark eyes shining with a youthful energy and her red silk coat warm and beautiful upon her.</p><p>Elan…was the Peacemaker or the leader of Crosswords; the one who headed the two councils. He was also the nominal Headmaster of Crosswords, and Baekhyun’s ‘father.’ Elan was the most beautiful man Baekhyun had ever seen. He was not ‘handsome’ or ‘hot’…but so angelic, so beautiful. He had long black hair that cascaded down his back and sea-blue eyes – they were the same colour Baekhyun’s eyes were, but his had more depth, were more beautiful, contrasting beautifully against his honeyed skin. His lips were wine red; his chin tilted up. His robes glided down his figure. He was so delicate…and yet, he could probably cast the strongest spells.</p><p>Baekhyun looked at his eyes desperately, waiting for them to look back at him. He waited for Elan to just…acknowledge his existence. Byun Baekhyun was no longer a young child, looking for love in the wheat fields and white clouds, waiting for it to drop. And yet, in some ways, he hadn’t changed. He was still desperate for that magical thing called ‘love.’ Oh, how thirsty he was for the sweet taste of approval to settle upon his bitter tongue!</p><p>Elan’s eyes looked straight ahead, towards the dais that awaited him. He walked with his shoulders pulled back, his hair flying behind his back. Behind him, the rest of the parade walked. Gret, a wrinkly skeleton who taught Historia, two Centaurs, some nuns, giants, pixies, dwarves, fairies, humans and an Englishman.</p><p>The parade passed. His father had, yet again, not recognized his presence. Baekhyun should be used to it by now –</p><p>-        But he wasn’t.</p><p>He was just a pawn on Elan’s chessboard, being moved around whenever it was convenient, given love whenever he needed it, ignored whenever he wasn’t required – or maybe, that was the bitterness speaking. Maybe, this was his flaw – so desperate for approval and love – he was practically blind.</p><p>Elan stood on the dais, delicate arms spread out, “Welcome back, students!” His eyes were shining; his lips stretched in a wide smile, “The holidays flew past us, and here on the first day of July, I’ll start by wishing you all the very best. Some of you have stepped in here for the very first time; some for the last.” His eyes darted around the crowd, “Always remember, you’re here to grow in the best way possible. Therefore, spread your wings and take flight, and don’t look back, don’t look down.”</p><p>Baekhyun looked down at the table.</p><p>Elan continued, “Times of pain and misery lay ahead of us; and darkness may clog our sight. You may move upfront and then back and be faced with closed doors everywhere. In that case, remember that the light is within you. Only your light can fight the darkness you have created, and only you can create a door that will let you step out of your misery.” There was a warm smile on his face, “It’s just a wise thought that I wanted to share. Other than that, I’ll advise you to befriend words, for that’s all we look for in life – words. Now, you can sit back and eat a delicious dinner. Thank you.”</p><p>They applauded, and when Elan stepped off the dais, everybody sat down. In an influx, the kitchen elves and pixies came over, putting up the plates and food on everybody’s table. When dinner was being served, it was better to keep your head down or a platter could just hit your head.</p><p>It had happened to Baekhyun before.</p><p>Once the food was on everybody’s table, chatter rose as hungry students started to dig in.</p><p>Kyungsoo sighed, “The Academy’s sausages always taste the best.”</p><p>“I agree,” Jongin said, but his opinion wasn’t valid, because he agreed with <em>everything </em>Kyungsoo had to say.</p><p>Baekhyun silently stabbed his food.</p><p>“Yah, don’t kill your food,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and both of them started arguing about something that he didn’t care about. He could feel Chanyeol looking at him.</p><p>“Stop staring,” he said, “It’s rude.”</p><p>Chanyeol sighed, “You may move upfront and then back and be faced with closed doors everywhere.”</p><p>He stilled.</p><p>“In that case, remember that the light is within you,” Chanyeol’s hand fell lightly on his other one, “Only your light can fight the darkness you have created; and only you can create a door that would make you step out of your misery. Do you get it?”</p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah, I do,” he looked up at the taller, “I’m childish, aren’t I?”</p><p>“No, you aren’t. It isn’t childish to wish for a little attention from the man who tells you to call him ‘father.’”</p><p>Baekhyun licked his lips, “I think he regrets it.”</p><p>“I think he loves you,” Chanyeol kneaded his brow, “But damn, he has weird ways of showing it.”</p><p>Baekhyun chuckled, “I agree.”</p><p>For a moment, it was silent before Baekhyun asked, “Also, Chanyeol. What happened back at the-?” Before he could finish, the candles floated closer to them and dropped down the books. Suddenly, there was a lot of chatter. Kyungsoo got up and laughed –</p><p>“Look! I got this Cookbook for the Best!”</p><p>Jongin giggled, “<em>The greatest art</em> – it’s a nonfiction book about different art forms and how they were attained. I like it.”</p><p>Jongdae shouted from the other side, “I freaking got a book on Family Management!”</p><p>“Really? I got an Animal book,” Minseok frowned.</p><p>Junmyeon had a devilish grin, “<em>Entrepreneurship and Excellence. </em>I like this.”</p><p>“What did Sehun get?”</p><p>“Princess stories.”</p><p>They laughed when Yixing said, “I got a novel – <em>The Story of a Man Who Never Stopped Walking.”</em></p><p>In between all of this, an old dusty book fell upon Baekhyun’s lap. His friends started asking him what the title was; they were quite excited. Baekhyun turned the book and frowned when he found that it had a shiny lock. He looked at the cover –</p><p>-        there was no name.</p><p>Confusedly, he turned to Chanyeol and he couldn’t help but gasp at the book – dusty and locked, just like Baekhyun, but it had a title, smeared in reddish-brown –</p><p>
  <em>Traitor. </em>
</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Soon, they were asked to assemble in the Courtyard for the House Sorting. Every year, the new students were sorted into one of the five houses. The process was a little creepy. On the central dais of the Courtyard, five house books were placed, and one book was placed in the centre – the Book of Crosswords. In their school, they had four nuns called The Four Sisters. They taught Advanced Sciences. They would stand around the area and then the magic would happen.</p><p>“Stand in line with your house, please,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes at Jongin, who’d made his way to the Solatium House, where Kyungsoo was standing.</p><p>“Baekhyun, we, the people of the Aphrodite House should recognize love the best and yet, you ask for the separation of two people struck by love?” Oh, God. Jongin was so dramatic. The crowd around them laughed.</p><p>“We, the people of the Aphrodite House, also recognize our love to our house, and the school and thus, abide by the rules and regulations to not upset the staff and the custom and therefore, your highness, I’d request you to stand in line,” he finished, dragging Jongin back.</p><p>“You’re no fun!”</p><p>“I’m a prefect, Jongin.”</p><p>“Whatever.”</p><p>Once everybody was in line, Baekhyun went and stood at the very back – which meant, he stood behind Chanyeol – as the guy was the tallest around.</p><p>“Hi,” Chanyeol greeted.</p><p>Baekhyun hushed him as the Song of the Universal started playing, sung by trees, dwarves, pixies, wind, and the orchestra. It was supposed to be the Welcoming Song, but it wasn’t welcoming at all…not for Baekhyun. In the past too, the eleven minutes for which the song would play would be torturous for him.</p><p>And just as the first melodies started playing, Baekhyun’s stomach tightened. There was a burning knot in his gut; his wrists seem to be burning. Elan had said that the song brought him undeniably close to Aurora…and if this was how it felt, he’d rather stay away. Pain filled his heart, and his eyes got glassy. The people said it was his love for Peace and Crosswords coming out…but they didn’t understand that the turmoil of emotions knotted in his body wasn’t anywhere near love.</p><p>It was pain, <em>anguish, </em>deep, deep regret.</p><p>It didn’t make any sense! But all he could do was clench his jaw, fist his hand and wait for the burning to pass. The song went on, the burning intensified.</p><p>A hot tear dropped onto his cheeks.</p><p>He was glad he was in the back, so nobody could see him. It was embarrassing. Suddenly, the song became faster, more haunted, the voices deeper, higher – it all was too much. The air was burning, and he was the fire. The night was haunted, and he was the ghost. The earth was broken, and he was the lonely life who’d raged hell. Caught deep in the cage of regret, he could only wait for the music to end. It was so evil, making him face his sins.</p><p>
  <em>Sins? What sins?</em>
</p><p>Regret burnt through his veins; pain and loneliness. He had loved and his love had burnt through his heart, putting it on fire, a painful death; hot tears burning on his cold cheeks, falling from glassy eyes.</p><p>
  <em>What was he thinking?</em>
</p><p>The song ended grandly, leaving Baekhyun empty, hurt…and still possessed by that form, the other identity he had…or maybe, the only identity he had that mattered.</p><p>Chanyeol turned to look at him and Baekhyun was shocked to see that his eyes were red too; a similar expression of pain and hurt reflected on those beautiful hazel orbs. For a few seconds, they were hazel and then they seemed to turn darker.</p><p>Something shifted.</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he bit harshly on his lip. His hand shook and he had to use his other hand to refrain himself. <em>No. </em>This was not happening. He couldn’t even comprehend; couldn’t understand just why – why…</p><p>-        would he so desperately want to hurt Chanyeol?</p><p>His face crumpled when he realized the implications of the statement. <em>Traitor. </em>No, stop! <em>Traitor. </em>He was losing it; Chanyeol’s face was just…miserable; tired. His eyes were so dark. His hand was shivering; wanting to reach out for his wand, the spell already on his lips.</p><p>And then, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He opened his mouth but before he could get a word out, Elan announced that the House Sorting would begin.</p><p>Suddenly, it all went back to normal. Baekhyun’s hand stopped shivering. He didn’t want to hurt the taller…anymore, didn’t want to dive a knife in his skull.</p><p>
  <em>What was wrong with him?</em>
</p><p>“C-Chanyeol?” He asked, forcing his voice to come out normal, “Are you – are you fine?”</p><p>The taller looked at him, and then coughed, “Yeah…just, whoa, the song was emotional, wasn’t it?”</p><p>
  <em>Liar.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t point it out. They both knew it. He just gave a weak smile, “It was.”</p><p>They didn’t have to strain the conversation for the Four Sisters started chanting –</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>We tell you a tale of five houses.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Five horsemen riding’ from different roads,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Met on a converging white-white way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The first lad, dressed in yellow, bowed </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Said he’d walk forward and make houses home,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And bring comfort, love, joy and gay,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The second, covered in red: cloth and wounds,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Swore to be courageous, brave and save the day</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The third lad, draped with pink, smiled</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He’d carry love to the world first and foremost,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The fourth wore purple, and had a wild</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Passion in his eyes, dead, alive, like a ghost</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The fifth had clothes of green, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>And the glint of wicked ol’ wisdom,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Knowledge that has seen the unseen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They stood, each with hopes, to change the system</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>And together they walked the white way,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The yellow, red, pink, purple and green became</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Solatium, Kratos, Aphrodite, Flamma and Historia </em>
</p><p>
  <em>And pray that forever they may remain. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>There was silence for a while after the chanting ended before the name of the first child was called. He stepped up to the dais, uncertain and Baekhyun remembered how he’d been the first child too, since his name started with a ‘B’. He’d been nervous, certain that he’d get rejected because he hadn’t belonged to this world, no matter what the beautiful man Elan claimed.</p><p>The boy placed his hand on the book of Crosswords…and suddenly, the pink book lit up –</p><p>“<em>Aphrodite!” </em>The Four Sisters said. Baekhyun was hit with a dash of nostalgia – The House of Love. It seemed to be perfect for him, for it was what he had yearned for.</p><p>And still yearned for.</p><p>His eyes darted towards Elan, who still wasn’t looking at him, and then to Chanyeol. He gulped. He’d just wanted to…hurt Chanyeol – no, something much worse – just a moment ago. Chanyeol’s eyes had darkened; they had seemed…possessed.</p><p>As his eyes fell upon the colourful stars up ahead, it hit him with a great intensity – <em>greater powers are at play. </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Qui dormit, non peccat - The man who sleeps does not sin</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun woke up drowning.</p><p>He could see the sky through the water, refracting light, being thrown about. His chest hurt…and yet, it felt good; peaceful. He sank and sank, air rushing through his body. He was free.</p><p>Freedom.</p><p>It was as if the sea was salty because of his tears.</p><p>Soon, the sea above him started to darken, redden and the tangy seawater became more acidic and metallic…he was tasting blood. It was beautiful to watch the blood spread evenly through the water above him. He kept sinking; weightless, a rag doll at his best.</p><p>Peace…he was peaceful.</p><p>But his mind was raging too. Anger; regret; deep, deep sadness. The last words of the curse still in his mind, inking themselves in his mind, in his heart. Why does a man die with a heart of glass? It was completely cracked, shattered, broken and regret and anger lined every broken line.</p><p>The sky disappeared…or maybe, it was <em>he </em>who disappeared. Maybe, the sky was still shining; it was he who had lost his light – the light in his eyes.</p><p>The lights turned off, and darkness surrounded him. Was he dead? He didn’t know. The heavy darkness lay heavy on him and he floated around until his back touched sand.</p><p>Then, he stopped moving.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>He awoke with tears streaming down his cheeks, angry screams a second away from his throat and shaking hands. His room was dark. It was suffocating. Immediately, he willed the sparks to travel up his veins. They emitted – shaky, but they were present, lighting up a corner of the darkroom. The knots around his chest seemed to untie, until his eyes fell on the figure sleeping across him.</p><p>He didn’t know what came over him. He was out of his bed and looming above the sleeping boy in seconds, glaring at him. The boy was moving around quite a bit, messy curls splayed around him, letting out a consistent stream of groans and pants and kicking his blankets away. His cheeks were wet, too.</p><p>A hot tear travelled down Baekhyun’s cheeks and fell upon the boy’s face, intermingling with his own wetness. Baekhyun had his hand upon his wand in seconds. Chants came to his mind – chants he didn’t even know:</p><p>
  <em>Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.</em>
</p><p>The first words were out of the mouth. Black light sparked from his wand, and his heart turned to ice. He stopped. <em>No. </em>He couldn’t have almost – this couldn’t have – <em>no. This was…wrong.</em></p><p>Black sparks…black magic.</p><p>
  <em>Banned magic.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun stub his wand back into his pocket. The authorities would know…they would know. There was one black magic receptor in every tower, every hall. Even though he hadn’t cast the complete spell, the sparks had come out.</p><p>Chanyeol – he’d almost cast a deadly spell on…Chanyeol.</p><p>His mind flashed back to the day earlier. He had tried hurting Chanyeol…and he had no clue why. He looked down at the troubled boy and reached out to pull his blanket up. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he treasured Chanyeol. He didn’t want to see the taller cry, but then why. <em>Why…just why?</em></p><p>His mind was jumbled, and he was only shaken out of the perpetual state of shock he had entered when panicked footsteps could be heard. They were faint but grew stronger. Muffled shouts echoed around the walls and Baekhyun was trapped in between. He jumped on his bed, and pulled his blanket up, begging for sleep to conquer him so he would seem innocent. But the way in which his body shivered made him aware that sleep was a distant fantasy. Even the innocent moonlight seemed to glare accusingly at him.</p><p>He was a <em>criminal.</em></p><p>He gulped, as tears threatened to flow down. If the authorities came to inspect their room, he’d be taken by suspicion. Why – what was wrong with him? He didn’t even know how he knew the spell or what it did.</p><p>His eyes fell onto Chanyeol once again…it couldn’t be a hurtful spell, right? Even black magic had to have some non-hurtful spells. They <em>had </em>to.</p><p>The footsteps weren’t so faint now. The door was opened.</p><p>Baekhyun felt like he was suffocating. If only he could sleep, it would be fine. His eyes fell upon his wand – that cursed wand. He didn’t want to touch it. He was afraid but they would soon be in his room, they’d ask why he was awake. They’d seize his wand…and they’d find out.</p><p>He was the Heir of Aurora, the embodiment of Peace and Justice. And yet, how was justice and peace supposed to go hand in hand? Justice was white – crystal, a clean slate, while peace was white painted over all the darker shades, all the reds and blacks went unnoticed.</p><p>And as he reached out for the wand, he’d already chosen Peace over justice. His hand trembled heavily, in guilt, in shock…and in fear. Fiery fear, icy fear, deep and dark fear that pumped through his veins, that lay heavily all around him, like a captured deer staring into the eyes of the hungry lion. But this fear arose not due to an object, the nearing footsteps or the melancholic moonlight that glared into his soul.</p><p>It was a fear…of himself.</p><p>His core was shaken, like a weak leaf being thrown around by the laughing wind. All his belief in himself had crumbled – nothing more than a mere house of cards. <em>Who was he?</em></p><p>The footsteps were audible now, soft against the heavily carpeted hallways outside. They were urgent. Baekhyun knew it was a matter of minutes before they’d chant to open his door, and then their eyes would widen at him. He could picture it; the way the moonlight would strike their eyes, the way tears would slip out of his own, <em>because he didn’t understand.</em></p><p>He pointed the thin end of the wand towards himself, his hand resting upon the blackwood. The back of the wand had a glimmering white crystal held by tendrils of white birch that extended out from the blackwood. The crystalline trails went up halfway across the wand. In the past, it had looked wonderful. Now, it looked evil.</p><p>The wand-maker had said <em>Luna </em>wasn’t a wand for the normal – it wasn’t for the evil or the great. It was for a human who was desperately trying not to slip inside the chasm between them. Baekhyun had never thought much of his words. But now, they echoed in his ears like roaring waves.</p><p>
  <em>This wand…is called Luna. The moon.</em>
</p><p>He’d been excited – the moon was pretty.</p><p><em>You must take great care of it for you are the future. This wand is your best friend…or your best enemy, depending on how you live, eh? </em>A grin, as if he knew what was coming. <em>The moon has two sides, boy. The dark one, and the light one: evil and good. This wand is for people who try desperately not to fall into the chasm created by the two spheres.</em></p><p>Baekhyun didn’t understand. He was just happy to be given a cool wand. He didn’t want something simple like the chestnut wand with leaf carvings like Kyungsoo’s. It looked like a mini walking stick, and he didn’t want something like Jongdae – a curved crystalline shape that was a pain to fit into a pocket.</p><p>Now, as he stared at the crystalline white and bold black, he understood. He chanted the spell – small, simple and undetectable –</p><p>“<em>Sleep like a log,</em>” his voice was soft against the chilly night air, which slowly dried away the sweat gathered on his body. Baekhyun heard the sound of a sharp knock –</p><p>“Did we inspect this room?”</p><p>They were outside his door. With weak arms, he slipped the wand underneath his robe. Slowly, the energy was sucked out of him, dripping down his body. He fell upon his bed, right as they chanted the spell to open the door. <em>Faster. Please. </em>The magic spread through his body, numbing every cell, wiping every thought away, erasing everything.</p><p>And just as his numbed ears heard the sound of the door creaking open, his eyes fell close and darkness overtook him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 29 June</strong>
</p><p>He saw brown – black streaked with yellow lights, and that’s how he knew it was morning. He woke up and immediately, his eyes fell upon the flowing light pink curtain that was lined with a crème boundary. The wind picked the silk up, while the soft sun emphasized its gentle, delicate shades. Next, his eyes moved towards the window. Greenfields rolled till infinity and to the East, mountains picked up. A sparkling stream flew down over these huge white rocks that looked like dinosaur eggs.</p><p>Maybe, it was.</p><p>That was the power of magic. There was no finite, no certainty, no fact. It wasn’t a yes or a no. It was a maybe. They could shut out no doors; there were infinite open ones. Magic…was beautiful.</p><p>But, no, not all kinds of magic. His eyeballs seemed to quiver as he got up. The events of yesterday slapped him with their cold, bloody hands at once. Panic nestled deep inside his gut, while his head rammed up thoughts – <em>what had the spell meant to do? Had he been caught? </em>He had to know just what had happened last night…without giving himself away or making anything suspicious. He couldn’t risk anybody tracing the event back to him.</p><p>No…he couldn’t.</p><p>When he was finally calm, he realized the room was empty. The sleeping chant must have worked a little <em>too </em>well. He huffed. Somebody should have woken him up. He looked at Chanyeol’s bed and frowned as it was unmade, which meant the taller had probably not gone for breakfast yet. On the other hand, Jongin and Yuta had cleaned their beds. Their pillow covers were smooth, and the comforters were folded neatly and kept on the foot side.</p><p>Baekhyun yawned as he got up and swung his legs out of the comforting bed. His foot stepped on his cloak and a sudden rush of panic climbed up his throat as he bent down and picked his wand up. Luna stood emotionless in front of him; so innocent; so beautiful, as if she hadn’t been the cursed wand that had cast the deadly magic.</p><p>He hadn’t <em>cast </em>it, but still.</p><p>His skin was patchy and dry, as if he had put honey on it and then sat out in the burning sun for six hours. He stepped out of the room and made his way to the bathroom. The common room was relatively empty save for some of the younger children, sitting around and playing with the soft floating orbs of light. They weren’t much different than Baekhyun’s creations with his <em>own </em>magic, but they had a distinct smell of their own. <em>Aphrodisiacs. </em>The softballs of light smelled like roses and jasmines in the spring; vanilla and ginger in the summer days; ambrette, champak, cinnamon, lavender and sandalwood in the nights. As of the present, Baekhyun relaxed as he inhaled the heavy fumes of vanilla and cinnamon.</p><p>The softballs of light weren’t the only magical thing around. The iridescent window panes were a mind-blowing sight, changing shades every time Baekhyun so much as turned his head to look at them. Rather than being based on physics, they were based on emotions, and <em>that </em>was the magic. Baekhyun let out a low sigh as he found them a mingled shade of red and blue. Red for the panic and stress that threatened to eat him out alive and blue for the heavy sigh of disappointment that was in the air around him.</p><p>He turned away from the windows quickly and made his way towards the bathroom. His feet were comforted by the soft, fluffy carpets that lead further in. The washroom had a grand white door, so one might think they were being escorted to a great restaurant. Baekhyun spun the white wheel on the door, roughly the size of his head and the door opened to a vast space. The tiles were white, lined by pink at some points. There were two rows of sinks, parallel to each other with huge windows. On the left-hand side, were the toiletries. Surprisingly, the toilets and urinary weren’t any different from what they had on Earth. Baekhyun supposed there was a limit of how much they could experiment on things.</p><p>The baths were again rather different. They had stalls of showers with magical functions like bubbles and colours which completely depended upon your chanting skills. Other than that, there was a warm pool with linastones. Linastones were soft, light rocks that were found in the river. They kept the water warm.  </p><p>Baekhyun stepped inside the washroom. Fumes of minty pastes and that certain smell of cleanliness came his way, and the hot, humid air was sticky against his skin. He stood in front of the marble basin and took a look at the mirror. His sea-blue eyes were rather dark, like the green at the bottom of a murky lake, and there were black circles underneath, which looked awful against his pale skin. His cheeks were so sunken; he didn’t like them.</p><p>“Good morning!” Baekhyun jumped at the sudden greeting, only to discover that it was Jongin, his friend and roommate. There was foam on the bottom of his face, and his eyes crinkled joyfully. Kim Jongin was the epitome of freshness, youth and playfulness.</p><p>Baekhyun smiled, “You look like Santa Claus.”</p><p>Jongin stood still for a moment, before he said, “Ho, ho, ho! What do you want from Santa this year, child?”</p><p><em>A new wand. </em>“I want love!”</p><p>The tanned boy snickered, “Sorry, child. We’re a materialistic association here, and since I can’t provide you with the gift you desire, I’ll put you up on the Naughty List.”</p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t smile, “You just…completely ruined Christmas for me.” He had never really celebrated Christmas, not at home. Chanyeol had invited him over for a few years, after they became thirteen, which he was grateful for. Religion was a fluid term for Baekhyun. His mother was a follower of Islam, while the community around him were Christians or Buddhists. In Crosswords, people were fond of Christmas, but they weren’t Christians. They had one faith – Aurora.</p><p>Suddenly, his heart was cold, like the icy snow that fell on Christmas. Their faith was Aurora; he was the heir of Aurora.</p><p>And Aurora stood against all forms of dark magic.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun had a great, fulfilling breakfast that day. When he had entered the almost-empty dining hall, he thought everybody was looking at him. His quickened heartbeat had only palpitated faster, throbbing underneath his bony skin – <em>they know. </em>He walked like a rat caught in a clutter of cats, wary of every movement, every shift and every person. It was insane but the worry had consumed his sanity. The guilt had eaten up his mind…and the fear had taken over his body.</p><p>He hesitated as he sat on his chair, as if he awaited some sort of funny enchanted device. When Yeri turned towards him, he jumped a few miles up – <em>she knows. </em>But she didn’t. She had just asked about his vacations – <em>Oh, you know. Nothing special. I spent the months in the fields. It was calming, but very boring.</em></p><p>Then, like the hero of the story, the food had arrived.</p><p>And like the perfect love interest, Baekhyun was absolutely gone the second it touched the table. The smell of beef, that slight ting of anchovy and the tangy kimchi wafted to every corner of the room, making Baekhyun’s mouth leak. <em>Mandu-guk, </em>or the traditional Korean dumpling soup. It was mostly eaten on New Year’s Day, and it wasn’t the first day of a year, but it <em>was </em>the first day of school. The broth was served in a ceramic bowl, steaming hot, with all the delicious toppings – marinated skirt steak, fried egg, nori, scallions and kamaboko, while the dumplings themselves were white and glossy, against the dark red spicy soup. The side-dishes were served next: hot steaming rice cakes that made Baekhyun sigh, a fruit-salad and his personal favourite: Mochi cakes.</p><p>The meal made him forget everything else. Truly, food was a therapy in itself.</p><p>Now, he was walking through the hallways towards his first class of the year: Advanced Chants by Germania Grendel, one of his favourite teachers.  His eyes trailed the dynamic walls, reading the texts which appeared at a glance…and then faded away as quickly. On his left, a sentence burned through his eyes –</p><p>
  <em>By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun blinked. Shakespeare. Before he could think further upon it, a shadow fell upon the floor and he paused his gait. He tilted his chin up. His heart dropped at an instance – <em>Chanyeol.</em></p><p>The taller’s eyebrows were knit together, and there was a crease on his forehead that Baekhyun didn’t like. He lifted himself on the balls of his heels and brushed his hand lightly over his forehead. It was a soft action, an innocent one that didn’t <em>mean </em>anything. But internally, his heart played ball with his chest, and his fingers dampened with sweat. There was a deep hollow in the pit of his stomach, as he waited for those…those emotions. The dark ones. The ones that were responsible for making him try and cast a dark chant upon his best-friend.</p><p>He waited. They didn’t come.</p><p>“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol’s voice was so low. It sounded unnatural. The way he said his name made him shiver, as if he was going to taunt him – <em>why did you try that spell on me last night?</em></p><p>Baekhyun smiled, nevertheless, as if he hadn’t tried to kill him last night. <em>Why had he tried to…? </em>There was no use in thinking about that, not right now. He didn’t want his face to betray his true emotions. The expanding ball of panic, fear and guilt was embedded against his heart and it hurt…but it wasn’t going to burst, not yet. Baekhyun could handle it. His eyes flicked up to Chanyeol, surveying him. The taller’s skin appeared bronzed against the refracting sunlight, threads of light giving his hair a beautiful glow. His lips were parched and patched, as if he had chewed on them throughout the night, <em>which he had.</em></p><p>“Hi!” There was a heaviness in the thick air, and Baekhyun’s voice lay thin and frail in between that, “Why didn’t you wake me up early? I didn’t have enough time to enjoy the shower…” His lips naturally puckered out, a whine escaping them. He wasn’t like this to others; only Chanyeol. Two girls passed by them in the corridor – Nana and Val. Both of them were heading to the Advanced Spells, where they ought to be.</p><p>But, somehow, the first class of the year wasn’t as important as <em>this </em>talk with Park Chanyeol.</p><p>Chanyeol ran a hand through his hair, “Uh – that, well – I felt like taking a walk before dawn. It was pretty calming and beautiful. It kind of refreshed me.” There was a ghost of a smile on his face and Baekhyun could see that the walk had been therapeutic for him. He mentally noted to take a walk the next morning too. Aurora knew he needed that…</p><p>Baekhyun licked his lips and started walking towards the classroom. Chanyeol followed by his side. It wasn’t awkward, per se, but Baekhyun’s racing mind <em>made </em>it awkward. He avoided looking at Chanyeol, and instead traced the dusty window panes on the side. There was a loud rumble of footsteps, shrill laughter, a few unruly shouts and jostling, but it all sounded as if it came from the other side of the window. It was distant, as if the whole world was underwater.</p><p>Or maybe, they were the ones underwater.</p><p>“Where did you go?” Baekhyun’s question was sudden, a nail hammered in the smooth stream of silence. He felt his palms sweat, “I mean, for the walk.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes lit up, “The Weary Woods. I walked till the Sparkling Stream.”</p><p>“That’s a very long walk…” Baekhyun remarked, “One that’s definitely forbidden.”</p><p>A smile curled up Chanyeol’s lips and he pointed to the sidewall, where words flashed in:</p><p>
  <em>Magic happens on the threshold of the forbidden.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nil satis nisi optimum - Nothing but the best is good enough</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The Enchanted Spells were practised out in a long-curved room in the ground level of the South-Western Tower, in which the Historia House Room was located. Anancite wood made the floor. Anancite was a tree with reddish-brown wood, as strong as diamond and steel, unbreakable, an insulator. It could only be broken by the bitter puree of the light green and purple Anancite leaves, which broke the bonds of the wood. It was funny, how something so brave could be broken by something so seemingly harmless. Desks and chairs made of the same material lined the edge of the circular room, pushed against the windowed wall. There was a small dais pushed against a wall, on which a huge chair was kept, and that chair was occupied by Germania Grendel.</p><p>She was a petite old lady, but her eyes were fire. Her grey hair fell around her back like the coat of a queen, and her magical stick served as a place-taker for her wand, just in case she lost it. Her overalls fell by her feet, heavy red-dyed wool woven with gold strings.</p><p>“Welcome, my dear students, to the first class of the year,” Her voice was a bit croaky, but every syllable was pronounced stronger than Baekhyun could ever manage, “Advanced Chants. Today, we won’t study anything new. Rather, I’ll check up on your abilities and make sure your casting is still intact. Other than that, I shall introduce the chants that we will learn this year.”</p><p>Excitement and nervousness were two sides of a coin that Baekhyun gulped down. It burnt in his stomach, messed with his intestines, and caused a wide array of feelings to engulf him. An irrational fear led amongst them all – the fear of his wand. How could he trust himself <em>not </em>to cast a spell like <em>that </em>again?</p><p>He couldn’t. He didn’t know what had triggered <em>that </em>in him. He didn’t know if that something would be triggered again.</p><p>And he didn’t want to know. He feared the answer.</p><p> </p><p>Soon, they got paired up and as luck would have it, his partner was Chanyeol. Byun <em>B</em>aekhyun and Park <em>C</em>hanyeol. They were directly next to each other in terms of their rolls, so it made sense. But sometimes, Baekhyun wished it weren’t that easy to answer everything with logic. It infuriated him. (This was why he wasn’t put into Historia after all.)</p><p>“I’m kind of nervous,” Chanyeol admitted, “Are you?”</p><p><em>Oh, you have </em>no <em>idea. </em>He smiled instead, “A little. It’s been long since I cast a spell.”</p><p>They didn’t get time for further communication. They got their wands out – Luna seemed outright devilish. The heavy blackwood, white birch and crystalline tendrils appeared sinful…and cursed under the innocent sunlight. On the other hand, Chanyeol’s wand fit right in. Made with elder wood, seven bumps along it, with minute crystal flecks embedded at its base, Pearl was a simple beauty.</p><p>Mrs Grendel had asked them to pick an object from the storage room at the back. It could be any object. Nana and Val had many dusty, old, scrolls on their table, while Kyungsoo and Minseok had a clutter of frogs kept in a jar. Some people had dragged out a cauldron, a plant or an entire shelf. Chanyeol and Baekhyun had settled on a jug of water. It should be enough.</p><p>“I see there is a wide assortment of objects on your respective desks,” Her voice betrayed a tiny hint of humour, “I’d like you to deform the chosen objects into something – anything that you wish. Your partner must write the name of a few objects, and you will convert your chosen object into any one of the objects your partner desires. After choosing an object, submit your notebooks to me and then, carry on with the process.”</p><p>Chanyeol groaned, “A jug of water has its limits. How are two people supposed to manage with one jug?”</p><p>Baekhyun was not phased, “I’d deform the water and you can deform the jug. How about it?”</p><p>Immediately, Chanyeol’s lips tugged up in a mischievous smile. They had done crazier things than deforming water and a jug. Heck, they had deformed a small pebble into an edible cooked sweet potato…and then eaten it. This was a piece of cake.</p><p>Baekhyun hurriedly scribbled words on his notebook. Chanyeol’s eyes darted hesitantly towards him, “Hey, now, don’t write something like a dragon in there…”</p><p>Baekhyun looked up with a gasp, “Really? I’ve already written Freisty here!”</p><p>Chanyeol pushed him aside and looked down at the notebook. He sighed when he found Baekhyun was just kidding and had only written Chanyeol’s name till now, “Byun, you better not be the reason why I’ll make a fool out of myself…on the very first day.”</p><p>“Honey, I don’t even <em>need </em>to do anything for that.” He winked. The playful banter went back and forth until they were done. They exchanged the notebooks. Chanyeol was the first one to react –</p><p>“Seriously? You’ve given me the options of an ostrich, Aladdin’s ‘smoke genie thing’ and ‘a vase with wheat growing in it’? These aren’t even things!” Chanyeol had all rights to be a little irked. Baekhyun had honestly been a bit unfair, but as he saw the options Chanyeol had given him, he felt like he had done <em>nothing </em>wrong.</p><p>“Chanyeol, you’ve written – ‘pearl oysters’, ‘a wand’ and an aquarium with real fish. I hardly think <em>I’m </em>the one being unfair,” He crossed his arms. He had <em>no </em>idea how pearl oysters <em>exactly </em>looked like and how he was supposed to make a working wand? And an aquarium was out of option because it would take too much magic.</p><p>Nevertheless, the words which had been written couldn’t be cut. Both of them solemnly went to Mrs Grendel’s desk and submitted the notebooks. She read through them quickly, and let out an amused laugh –</p><p>“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were the worst of enemies.”</p><p><em>We are. </em>Baekhyun wanted to say, but he was still wondering how the heck was he supposed to make a wand.</p><p>“I’d say we’re the best of friends, Mrs. Grendel,” Chanyeol said, “We like to…uh, challenge each other.”</p><p>The shorter sighed, “Of course, we don’t even care if the challenges are helpful or not. We just like to <em>challenge </em>each other, right Chanyeol?”</p><p>“An ostrich, Baekhyun, just remember, a <em>real </em>ostrich.” The taller muttered underneath his breath.</p><p>But his argument was useless, “An aquarium, out of a <em>jar </em>of water. And I didn’t even get the jar. I just got the water.”</p><p>Mrs. Grendel laughed but her voice was stern, “All right, you two. Now, go back to your desks and carry on with your tasks. I <em>hope </em>you’d succeed.” The silent ‘I know you won’t’ was obvious in her tone and suddenly, a spark of competitiveness arose in Baekhyun’s chest. This <em>one </em>teacher had always believed in them, all of them indiscriminately, and today, Baekhyun wanted to give her a reason to uphold that belief and never let go of it.</p><p>He marched back to his desk and took out his wand, and for a very long time, he studied the structure and tried to remember what they’d learnt back in second year about the structure of a wand. It had an energy within it – the real thing.<em> Vis. </em>For Baekhyun, it was moondust that had been present in the sword of Aurora and her guardian. He wondered if water could be a <em>vis.</em></p><p>Of course, it could be.</p><p>Next, he had to worry about the outer covering. What could contain the <em>vis? </em>What could contain the soul of the ocean? His thoughts faltered, and he found himself looking at Chanyeol who was scribbling something on his hand.</p><p>“What are you making?” Baekhyun asked.</p><p>“The <em>vase,</em>” He answered, “This jar contains life. I think I can make a vase which contains life, too.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded. It would be <em>very difficult </em>but…it was the easiest option.</p><p>“What about you? You’re making the pearl, right?” Chanyeol asked. The pearl would’ve been easier, but Baekhyun had no idea how it looked like. He’d never touched it, smelt it, seen it – it would’ve been a waste of magic.</p><p>“I’m not,” he said, “I’m making the wand.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes darted towards him in surprise, “Really? You’re making a <em>wand?”</em></p><p>His tone caused Baekhyun to feel insecure, but he nodded, “Yeah, I’m trying to think of the outer covering.”</p><p>“What about the <em>vis? </em>How’d you ever get that?”</p><p> Baekhyun shuffled his hands, “Um…water? It could be a <em>vis. </em>Just need to think of something that could contain this water…” Suddenly, his eyes widened, “Oh my, I’m dumb.”</p><p>Chanyeol blinked confusedly, “Huh?”</p><p>“No, nothing. Don’t mind me, I’m just dumb.” He turned away from the taller boy to the jar, and took out his pen and started scribbling in a notebook, “Why didn’t I think of this before?”</p><p>Chanyeol asked him a few more times but he didn’t get any reply, so he just gave up and turned away onto his own project. Baekhyun’s mind was racing faster than Freisty’s glide. In under fifteen minutes, he had come up with a flawless structure of a wand.</p><p>“I’ll displace the water, now.”</p><p>Chanyeol was amazed by his speed, but he inverted the jug. As the water poured out, Baekhyun pointed his wand onto the stream and cast –</p><p>
  <em>“I wish I could freeze this moment!”</em>
</p><p>Not a drop tickled out. It became ice. Baekhyun slid the solid block towards himself, and Chanyeol went back to his work. Before the heir cast the <em>main </em>spell, he took a quick look around himself. Some people had finished deforming – they’d deformed scrolls into canes, books into clothes and other stuff like that. On the other table, Kyungsoo and Minseok struggled with the frogs. A frog escaped the jar and jumped on an Aphrodite kid who screamed and knocked down her glass crystal which shattered into a million pieces.</p><p>It was all the norm. Enchanted Spells was never the place for calm and quiet.</p><p>Baekhyun looked down at the frozen block of ice, and then at the figure he’d sketched onto his notebook. He shut his eyes and imagined it – the wand. Pure crystal glass ran long and thin, with water inside it. Around the wand were white, smoky tendrils that ran parallel with icy jags – wind and ice. It smelled like pure freshwater, the heavy breath of oxygen and that sticky smell of glass. It tasted like an ice cube on your tongue on a hot summer day, like the empty bottle of a carbonated drink that you’d lick afterwards. In your hands, it was cold like touching those round linastones in the summer – cold to the touch yet hot in temperature. He pictured how magic would flow out of it – water, which was in everything, would gain energy from its different counterparts and then use the same energy to cast a spell. The flow of most of its spells would be like a constant stream.</p><p>He would call it ‘Aqua.’</p><p>Baekhyun lifted Luna up and then, he willed for the moondust to gather within his soul, connect to his mind and listen to his voice. The wand throbbed with built-up energy and he waited until the throbbing matched the pace of his own heart. A strange drunkenness travelled up his veins like the sweet burn of Almond Wine spreading throughout his body, intoxicating him. The energy in him intensified until there was a distinct roaring in his ears, like the feeling of pressing a seashell to the pinna.</p><p>At last, when the world faded out, and the desire for the wand ‘Aqua’ had consumed him, he brought Luna down –</p><p>
  <em>“Mutatio!”</em>
</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Mrs. Grendel got down from her chair. Some students looked towards her, while others were busy picking up crystal shards, wiping spilt wine and catching frogs and cats. She noticed everything, but the centre of attraction for her were two students who had just taken a simple jar of water.</p><p>A big vase lay on the floor, and fresh wheat danced underneath the sunlight and air which entered from the windows. There was fresh soil in the vase, small moving organisms and a natural freshness. An extraordinary sight.</p><p>“Park Chanyeol,” She regarded, “Share the process with us.”</p><p>The other students paused and tuned into the voice – all except for <em>one.</em> Chanyeol was visibly awkward under the spotlight, but he spoke up with sharpness in his voice. It was obvious that he had <em>known </em>what he was doing –</p><p>“First, I had gone with the symbolization that the jar of water contained life. So did a vase. Deforming a jar into a vase would’ve been easy, so I had started with the wheat and the soil first. There was a <em>little </em>water left in the jar, on which I had cast ‘<em>Dust of Snow’ </em>to make it dirty. Then, I had tried to accumulate the sunlight and the air in one place by trapping spells and then covered the jar, so I now had soil, water, air and sunlight. After that, it was quite easy,” Chanyeol finished. There was awe in the air. Normally, <em>deformation </em>meant…just changing shapes. People rarely thought about the science behind it all. All of them knew how plants lived, how science worked – but how many would dare to mix the world of science with the world of magic?</p><p>Mrs Grendel smiled, “Excellent and innovative. Twenty points for you.”</p><p>The class did a collective ‘whoa.’ Getting five points was hard; twenty was a blessing.</p><p>Then, she turned towards the other boy, who had broken out of his sphere of concentration half-way into Chanyeol’s speech. He held a wand in his hand.</p><p>“Baekhyun?”</p><p>The boy looked up and gasped out, “Y-Yes?”</p><p>“Would you mind casting a spell with the new wand?” Mrs Grendel herself was curious. She hadn’t ever tried to deform something into a wand – definitely <em>not </em>water.</p><p>Baekhyun gulped. He looked drained – the magic had been heavy. Everybody whispered around but when the heir opened his mouth, they stopped. All eyes were on him, waiting to see if the wand would work. Even Chanyeol couldn’t look away.</p><p>Baekhyun’s voice was small, <em>“Lux.”</em></p><p>Gasps were heard as the tip of the wand lit up in a dim light…which only grew stronger as time passed. Byun Baekhyun had succeeded in making a wand out of water. He also received twenty points.</p><p>Mrs Grendel clasped her hand together, a satisfied smile on her face, “Well, Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun. I’d like to meet both of you on Friday after classes in my office. Don’t forget.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Word travelled fast in the castle.</p><p>Byun Baekhyun had made a wand out of the water, while Park Chanyeol had made a vase with wheat out of a jar. There were some jokes too –</p><p>“Why a vase of wheat?” Jongdae laughed, “It’s so absurd!”</p><p>Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “It was Baekhyun’s idea.”</p><p>Then, there were always some people who came to Baekhyun with the request of –</p><p>“Baekhyun, can you <em>please </em>make a real-life hottie for me from the stream? Please!” Girls would say.</p><p>He’d always say, “A person can either be hot or can be nice. You can’t have both together, anyway.”</p><p>That Monday, Chanyeol had received a call from Elan. Baekhyun had been curious. He wondered if it was because of the spell...then, he should’ve also gained some sort of praise, right? He had also done something unconventional. Besides, Baekhyun kept waiting for any sort of message from Elan. His father had to pick on how troubled he was. If there was one person Baekhyun could share everything with, it was Elan.</p><p>When Chanyeol had returned, he revealed that Elan hadn’t said much, “Really, it had been because Yoora had wanted to meet me next month, for which they had to arrange some stuff.”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t understand why Elan would call Chanyeol for that. It didn’t make sense, but he took Chanyeol’s word. They never lied to each other.</p><p>Baekhyun was relieved that he had Aqua. He’d been practising casting spells with the glass wand instead…and it wasn’t <em>bad. </em>Sure, it didn’t have enough power if he tried casting huge spells, or spells far away from a water body, but he didn’t require a complex wand for normal spells. Aqua was fine, a beautiful wand – <em>his </em>wand. At night, Luna, placed on his cupboard, looked scary and devilish under his glance.</p><p>So, he kept it in a drawer and replaced its place with Aqua. He never opened that drawer.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Veritas odit moras - Truth hates delay</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Wednesday, 1 July</strong>
</p><p>On Wednesday, he caught up with Chanyeol in the library, situated in the South-Westerns Wing too, right above the Advanced Chants. The library resembled a maze, with hundreds of shelves and tables and chairs. There were endless sections to choose from, and many twists and turns. The librarian, Ms Bunce was a cat hybrid lady and was what one would call ‘sexy’ with those never-ending long legs and kitten ears, that could listen very well. But Baekhyun wasn’t attracted to her. She gave off that ‘evil’ aura, as most librarians did.</p><p>They sat in a secluded corner, in the ‘Gnome’ section, where nobody went deliberately. By now, Baekhyun trusted himself not to accidentally kill Chanyeol. That incident had occurred on Sunday night. It had been days since that.</p><p>Chanyeol sat on the tall chair, tipping it back and resting his head against a bookshelf, “What did you want to talk about?”</p><p>Baekhyun clicked his tongue, and wiped his hands on his robes, “Your vision. You promised me that you’d tell me.”</p><p>Suddenly, Chanyeol’s face went blank and gave away <em>no </em>emotion. His eyes were beady, and his face appeared waxy.</p><p>“Chanyeol…<em>please.</em> I <em>need </em>to know,” He pleaded, “You’ve been having nightmares, every day. I don’t want you to face all of this alone.” <em>I don’t want to face all of this alone.</em></p><p>At that, the waxy face broke and Chanyeol sighed as he tipped his chair back to its normal position and leaned in close, “The thing is…I don’t even <em>understand </em>Baekhyun. I have no idea how to explain it. You’d think I’m crazy…and I think <em>I am!</em>”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t know what to say. He instinctively reached out and grabbed Chanyeol’s big hand into his small ones, running his thumb on the joint between Chanyeol’s fingers –</p><p>“I won’t think you’re crazy,” He promised, “Never.”</p><p>Chanyeol sighed, “It’s just – I keep doing things I don’t want to – no wait, I want to. At the moment, I’m doing them, I want to. But then, it’s something I have no control over. Does that make sense?”</p><p>Baekhyun’s actions stilled. It was way too similar to his own…actions. He looked at Chanyeol, in his eyes and commanded, “Explain.”</p><p>Chanyeol folded his hands atop each other, “It all started on the summer solstice. I got the first dream – vision, if you may – and I was spooked. It was dark in that vision, there was a silent cave and weeping. Heartbreaking kind of weeping. That was it.” There was a dark look in Chanyeol’s eyes. Suddenly, the shadows of the shelves seemed much more prominent and the usual silence that surrounded the library felt ancient and heavy, “Day by day, they became longer, scarier. There is a voice – a mixture of many voices that cries out to me – <em>I shall cross again.</em>”</p><p>Baekhyun froze, much like the water that had dripped out of that jar. He couldn’t move. His vision came to his mind. <em>Come to us, so-called Heir. I’m not cruel…but I shall cross again. And this time, you’re the victim… Oh, I’m not cruel, my boy. I am just the only one who has enough courage to tell you the truth.</em></p><p>He gasped, as breathing became difficult. A familiar spark went on his stomach, one that he had come to recognize. The vile, depressed, agonized…<em>creature </em>morphed in his stomach once again. It was there – oh, it was there again. That <em>hatred, </em>that <em>pain. </em>Through the intoxication, Baekhyun warned the other boy –</p><p>“Chanyeol, get away from me,” He said through gritted teeth, “<em>Get away. From me.”</em></p><p>The taller didn’t. He fished out a golden vial and pushed it towards Baekhyun, “Drink.”</p><p>For reasons that Baekhyun couldn’t comprehend, the first thought he had about the vial was ‘<em>it’s poison.</em>’ Why…just why? In the glass of the vial, he could see his reflection. His eyes were so dark, murky green. Without further thought, he willed his body to drink the vial. It burnt through his throat, and tears blurred his vision. His stomach threatened to rip apart…and as fast as it had all come about, it was gone.</p><p>The air lay still, dust dancing in the sunlight. Flutters of pages turning and chairs shifting as students moved about. The smell of books and heavy, old wood reached his nostrils. The softness of the sun was great on his face. It hurt to move his heavy arms, it hurt to think. But he took in a deep breath and forced himself to break away from this momentary trance.</p><p>And when he did, Chanyeol’s emotionless eyes were on him. They were judging his worth. He was a criminal standing underneath the long coat of justice.</p><p>At last, Chanyeol said, “Elixir of Control, made with Gladiolus, the bark of hemlock and Serpent’s crown. It’s temporary, but useful.”</p><p>Baekhyun gulped but nodded. He didn’t know what to say. He had so many questions to ask Chanyeol, but he knew he had equally many questions to answer. So, they stayed in that awkward, scary sphere where the air seemed to be electric.</p><p>Chanyeol broke the silence, “I’m disappointed.”</p><p>Guilt stabbed his heart, “W-Why?”</p><p>“You tried to play me.” His voice was dangerous, “You lied to me while blabbering so much about ‘promises.’”</p><p>“…I don’t understand, Chanyeol.” He sounded desperate. He wanted to know how much the taller knew, and he promised himself, that he’d tell everything that he <em>had </em>hidden. He would not run away.</p><p>Chanyeol let out a breath, before leaning back against the shelf, “Time…what do you think is time?”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t have to think about it. The days watching the wheat field had already given him an idea of what time was – “It’s what happens when nothing else happens.”</p><p>Chanyeol looked to the side, “Really? That’s interesting.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because you give it independence. But I consider it to be the most dependent thing ever,” The taller, traced the wall of the shelf, “It’s a trap, made to fool us. When everything happens, and then momentarily stops, then…we notice time. It’s inactivity, just how darkness is the absence of light.”</p><p>“But light can be defined as the absence of darkness, can it be not?” Baekhyun was quick to argue, before he realized, “Wait, what’s the point of all this? What are you trying to tell me?”</p><p>Chanyeol sighed and leaned right towards him, looking him in the eyes, “I thought time would save me, but it didn’t. The visions strengthened and took control of me until I was nothing but a ball of sadness and misery. This was the reason why I didn’t meet the others during the holidays. I kept waiting for time as if it was a medicine…it would heal me,” he took a sharp breath, “It didn’t. And I realized, time would not do anything. It’s us that get busy, it’s we that do things.”</p><p>Baekhyun listened intently, trying to arrange all the pieces and finally see the whole picture. It wasn’t working yet.</p><p>Chanyeol continued, “That day, I wasn’t the <em>only </em>one who fainted. I wasn’t the only one who got the vision. I wasn’t the only one that felt…strange during the Song of the Universal. Because <em>you </em>were there. You felt everything, didn’t you?”</p><p>It didn’t cross Baekhyun’s mind to try and lie, “Yes.”</p><p>“That night – I am not dumb, Baekhyun – I woke up just as the inspecting team came in. I woke up just as you cast the spell upon yourself. <em>Dark Magic,</em> that’s what they told me. I <em>know </em>you did it…and I know you did it,” His voice quietened down to a whisper, “…on me.”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>“Chanyeol-” Baekhyun tried.</p><p>But the other just shut him off, “Before you continue, I…I lied too.”</p><p>Baekhyun snapped his head up, “What?”</p><p>Chanyeol played with his fingers, “That morning…I went out because I felt – I wanted to hurt you,” He sounded helpless and it <em>hurt </em>Baekhyun more than dark chants ever could, “I told Elan about…my urges.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes widened, “You did <em>what?</em>”</p><p>Chanyeol breathed in sharply, “Calm down, Baekhyun. He didn’t react too badly. He wasn’t about to banish me…but he was troubled, talked something about the curse or – I don’t know! I was worried. Yesterday, he called me in to give me the vial. He re-enchanted my glasses so that nothing would try to take control of me when I have them on. That’s why I have more control than you. My glasses are family heirlooms.”</p><p>Baekhyun could hardly comprehend words. His mind was working way too fast and way too slow at the same time, and he just wanted to barge into Elan’s office and shout his lungs out. But he tried his best. He nodded, “All right.”</p><p>“…That’s that.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>There was a short pause, like the temperature warming up again as Chanyeol smiled a bit, “So, we have weird urges to kill each other.”</p><p>“Is that why you wanted me to try and make a wand?” Baekhyun joked. The heavy air cracked, and a fresh breeze blew in. Finally, the truth was out. </p><p>The taller laughed, “Yeah, maybe.”</p><p>They sat in comfortable silence for a while, taking in everything before Chanyeol asked, “What – what spell were you going to cast on me that night?”</p><p>Baekhyun hesitated, “I don’t know what it does, Chanyeol. I presume it’s nothing good.”</p><p>“Still, I’m just curious.”</p><p>The shorter had no other option. Besides, Chanyeol might even know the usage. But did he <em>want </em>to know? The fear ruled his mind. It was strange how he was always scared these days. Just for the sake of fighting that fear and gaining control over it, he answered –</p><p>“<em>Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo,” </em>He waited for a moment, before he dared to ask, “Do you know what that means?”</p><p>Chanyeol looked troubled. He shook his head, “I don’t know…”</p><p>And they all know the unspoken hanging sentence – <em>and I don’t like not knowing</em></p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>That night, Baekhyun had asked Chanyeol about Elan, in hopes that his father would call him soon. It got lonely, knowing you had parents, but never being connected to them. The other boy just shook his head –</p><p>“No, I’m sorry. I did mention your name, but he didn’t say anything,” Chanyeol had a mixture of guilt and pity in his voice, and both were unwelcomed emotions for Baekhyun. He didn’t ask about it again.  </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Utere, non numera - Use the hours, don't count them </em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Friday, 3 July</strong>
</p><p>On Friday, Baekhyun found himself tapping the base of his desk with his foot like a crazed man. His eyes wandered outside the window, observing the high sun slowly dipping behind the Weary Woods and then to the hourglass on the desk of his Arithmetic teacher, Kinnaras, a wise and old centaur...who was also a half-bird. It wasn’t like Arithmetic was boring; it was an art of itself with numbers as the paints. But these days, Baekhyun was growing impatient, <em>restless. </em>That voice never failed to find him in his dreams. He woke up with sweat dampening his sheets, and tears drying his cheeks. Elan had still not called him to his office, and he was growing tired of waiting. Something…something was happening, and he was involved, yet, nobody told him anything. Yesterday, Baekhyun had found himself standing at the creek with his wand out, half-determined to cast the dark spell at a dying snail.</p><p>But he had held back. It was wrong, against his ethics. It was banned and he could be banished from this world. It violated the picture people had of him as the heir.</p><p>But for the first time, he didn’t care about the image. He <em>knew </em>if he didn’t feed his curiosity quick enough, it would eat <em>him </em>instead.</p><p>The last specks of sand nodules reached the bottom side of the hourglass with a sound resembling the dropping of dozens of books at once. That marked the end of the class, and students got up, fixing their robes, gathering their materials, chatting with their friends and leaving the class after thanking Kinnaras. Baekhyun threw his books and scrolls in one hand and fixed his robe with the other before racing to the exit, but the call of his name prevented his quick exit. He turned back towards the teacher –</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>Kinnaras grunted, “I needed to talk with you, Mr. Byun.”</p><p>
  <em>Shit, why did every teacher want to talk to him?</em>
</p><p>He brushed a fringe away, “I would love to, Kinnaras, but Mrs Grendel had requested my presence today after classes ended. I wouldn’t like to keep her waiting…” He looked through his eyelashes, seeing if Kinnaras had taken the hint or not. The bronze, bulky skin of the centaur gleamed, and his powerful, lined face told him nothing of what went down in that wise head.</p><p>“Then, visit me tomorrow at my hut,” Kinnaras’s voice was low, but the command was heard, “I’ll be waiting for you at dawn.”</p><p>Baekhyun crinkled his eyebrows. <em>At dawn…? </em>Kinnaras didn’t want others to know about their ‘meeting.’ That was obvious, but why? Before Baekhyun could think things through, by reflex, he found himself saying –</p><p>“Could I bring my friend too?” He clasped a hand on his mouth, “No, I meant – nothing.”</p><p>Kinnaras narrowed his eyes, “Mr Park, right?”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, looking at the centaur, who appeared to be deep in thought. There were crescents under his eyes, and his face was lumpy and veiny. His dark lips were pressed against each other. After a while, he nodded –</p><p>“Yes,” Baekhyun found himself unable to look away from those dark eyes that regarded him sternly, “You <em>may.</em>”</p><p><em>He knows, </em>Baekhyun thought as he turned away from the classroom towards the South-Western Tower. <em>He knows about us.</em></p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Germania Grendel was a lady of kind words, with a determination that ran deeper than blood reaped for one’s sins. She stood, facing the patch-worked iridescent window that let in shards of warm, colourful light, with a rather grim face. The setting sun was ominous, marking the beginning of the night, and against its orange shades, sat the black silhouette of a man upon a chair placed by the round desk. <em>Chanyeol.</em></p><p>Baekhyun pushed the door aside, and the resulting creak notified the two figures of his presence. He cleared his throat as defiant and stern eyes met his –</p><p>“You called, Mrs Grendel…” The words tipped off into infinity. He looked at Chanyeol, tried to gauge his face, but there was <em>nothing </em>he could learn.</p><p>“Yes, Mr Byun,” Mrs Grendel cracked a small smile, but the heavy air did not stir a bit, “Do take a seat.”</p><p>He obeyed, choosing to sit right next to Chanyeol, even though there were other chairs available. Mrs Grendel raised her eyebrows but did not comment. Baekhyun busied himself with observing the shadows cast by the colourful windows across the curved room. It was small, but cosy, with a circular mahogany table, potted plants, six chairs spread across the area, huge windows and boxes kept at a corner. One box was labelled ‘the Grendel Gang Collection.’</p><p>Baekhyun averted his gaze to the teacher.</p><p>The air was lidden with silence when Mrs Grendel finally spoke, “What books did you receive as gifts, Mr Park and Mr Byun?” There was an obscured directness in her tone.</p><p>Baekhyun found himself answering, “I got a locked book. It…doesn’t have a key. Chanyeol got the same.” He didn’t mention the part where the word <em>‘traitor’ </em>was scrawled in red dripping ink, or a liquid he hoped was ink. For some reason, he had completely forgotten about the books, and never once tried to look for the key.</p><p>“I see. As compared to your mystical gifts, I received the newest version of the Guide to Teaching,” She chuckled, her eyes turning into crescents. Chanyeol and Baekhyun gave out tiny smiles in return, but they dropped away not a second too late. The teacher continued – “I wonder, why do people lock things, artefacts? What do <em>you </em>think?”</p><p>Baekhyun blinked his eyes. Was this a trick question?</p><p>Chanyeol, the ever-so-ready nerd, went first. He fixed his glasses and tilted his head, “Because, they want to maintain their privacy as well as ensure some form of basic security?”</p><p>The professor smiled, “Of course. That’s a reason; the logical reason. But, there’s an instinctual reason as to why people lock their things.” She waited. Crows flew outside, past the colourful windows, dipping with the sun, and Baekhyun’s eyes fell on Grendel’s ring. It was a pretty shade of ruby, with a metal band. He couldn’t identify which metal. She didn’t wear it in class, so it was the first time he’d seen it.</p><p>
  <em>Why do people lock things?</em>
</p><p>Why did Mrs Grendel not wear her ring? They all knew she was married, but then – <em>ah.</em></p><p>Baekhyun swiped his hand across the table, before tilting his head up, slightly, “Because they don’t want others to know…or pay more attention than required.”</p><p>Another murder of crew flew by. It reminded him of the immortal fields back home, and the crows. For him, it stood for freedom and imprisonment, existing together in one mass mixture, much like other things on this planet. But the noticeable thing was that the crows stood for freedom, while the fields…they imprisoned him.</p><p>“You are correct, Mr Byun,” Germania Grendel’s voice was this toady sound, but it filled him with approval…that he loved, “Indeed, people lock things so as others may not get a glimpse of it. Maybe, it’s for privacy, maybe they’ve done embarrassing things…or maybe, they’ve done <em>criminal </em>things.”</p><p>Baekhyun froze. He knew Chanyeol had frozen too.</p><p>No crew flew by this time around, and a shard of colourful light that peeked through the windows was suspended in time. Thousands of voices awoke inside Baekhyun and all of them asked the same question and answered the same answer – <em>Does she know? She must. </em>He wanted to clutch his head. He was the prisoner of those voices at night, and their slave in the day.</p><p>It stabbed.</p><p>Mrs Grendel continued, “But, well, we won’t know what they’ve done…<em>until we have the key. </em>So, it makes me ask another question – why do keys exist? It would be smarter to burn away things that could give you away. But yet, we’d rather use a lock and key. Why?”</p><p>Baekhyun’s heart was racing fast. <em>It would be smarter to burn away things that could give you away. </em>Luna, kept unused in his front coat pocket, burnt against his thigh. It was a silent message, or maybe, he was looking too much into it.</p><p>Beside him, Chanyeol stirred, “Because…there’s something left unsaid, something left undone. So, we’d preserve the weapons until we could use it.”</p><p>A bell rang in Baekhyun’s mind and the burning against his thigh ceased. Luna was still useful. Whatever the books hid, it was still useful, still required.</p><p>Mrs Grendel crossed her hands and threaded her fingers. There was a satisfied smile sitting on her face, and her eyes shone. “You are correct, Mr Park, as expected,” A beat skipped before she continued, “And that makes me wonder if you have tried to find the key.”</p><p>They shook their heads.</p><p>“You should,” There was something else in her voice – it wasn’t a plea, it wasn’t a command, not a statement…it felt as if she was speaking on behalf of the goodness of the entire world, “To answer your questions, and to ask questions that you <em>need </em>to find the answer of, you must find the key.” She winked.</p><p>Just like that, the tension in the air dissipated into something else – something brighter that went by the name of aspiration. They had a purpose now.</p><p>“How will we ever find the key?” Chanyeol leaned forward, his eyebrows arched.</p><p>The teacher just smiled, “How did you find the lock?”</p><p>“Magic,” Baekhyun whispered as his memory flashed back to all the years as the books would fall, chosen by magic, a different book for everyone.</p><p>“So, how do you suppose you’d find the key?”</p><p>Chanyeol leaned back, “Magic…”</p><p>The setting rays of the sun fell upon them, illuminating them in a colourful light.</p><p>“And that <em>level </em>of magic, I’d teach it to you,” Germania Grendel got up, her robes caught the sunlight and took them in; she was shining; her eyes gleaming with a different sort of energy, “I’d officially like to welcome both of you to the Special Course of Advanced Chants by your honourably, Germania Grendel. I’d expect to see you on Monday after class for the first session.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 4 July</strong>
</p><p>The Saturday sun was still asleep when Baekhyun was woken up. He squirmed in his bed as the warmth over him was pulled away, but he couldn’t find his blanket. Rubbing his eyes, he peeked underneath the lids to see Chanyeol’s silhouette hovering over him.</p><p>“Get up,” His voice was deep, “We have an appointment with Kinnaras.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The leaves crunched underneath his feet, and Baekhyun tried walking on those empty, bare patches of ground. Chanyeol didn’t. The taller, with his clumsy self and pole legs, stepped on a dry heap of leaves, producing a satisfying but loud sound that violated the silence that reigned in the weary woods.</p><p>“Hush,” Baekhyun tugged at his shirt, “Are you <em>hoping </em>that somebody sees us?”</p><p>The taller tried to shrug but in the process, his shoulder jammed against an old tree, that let out a ‘Humph!’ before dozing back to sleep. In the twilight glow, the white, veiny trees looked like the fingers of a witch. Any normal human being wouldn’t <em>dare </em>to make much noise – it wasn’t even for the fear of being discovered – but of course, Baekhyun’s best friend relished in opportunities where he could prove his strangeness.</p><p>The heir did not utter a word though, and that added to Chanyeol’s embarrassment.</p><p>The boy’s skin was all sorts of blooming colour in this colourless forest, “Look, you <em>know </em>I’m not necessarily smart all the time.”</p><p>Baekhyun sighed and looked onto the approaching land. Kinnaras’ hut was on the <em>Eastern </em>hills, through which the <em>Avariet River </em>passed, and the Weary Woods encompassed the North-Western area, stretching until the Northern fields. But going around the castle was easier than moving inside the castle until they reached the Eastern opening – it would have made them lose <em>many </em>individual points.</p><p>They navigated easily through the fields, after all, it was the view from their windows every day. That was the small world of Crosswords. While on Earth, Baekhyun sometimes saw these mechanical birds that he’d come to learn were aeroplanes and those whistling trains that made you swim if you watched them for too long; they could travel anywhere. On Earth, there was a world beside a world. There were people like him – white-skinned, small-eyed; he was a Korean, they said; Korea was a country, that’s where he was from, and then, there were people like his mother – honeyed skin, bright eyes and brown hair. She was from a different race, and no, not the horse races, but her colour put her into a different category of people. Different people came from different countries over different continents across different oceans –</p><p>-        but in Crosswords, they were all the same.</p><p>They might have different languages, different colours, different habits, but they weren’t given a societal name. They were all hailed under the same name – <em>Aurorians. </em>His mother doesn’t understand this very well, so he doesn’t explain it to her.</p><p>He doesn’t want to let anybody know of this happiness either. He’s afraid they’d ruin it.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Kinnaras’ cottage was at the base of the Aurorian River, Avariet, and it was very homey. Stacked woodpiles, mud, and vines of some plant intermingled together to hold a small, comfortable cottage. A small wooden fence marked the area of his house. A stone path led to the gate, and all around there were bushes and numerous instruments that Baekhyun couldn’t recognize. He saw a telescope and many reels of running yellow pages, on which numbers and sentences were hastily written. They stepped into the area, and Baekhyun’s eyebrows scrunched together as he looked at the sight on the ground.</p><p>A ring of Linastones were splayed around the grass bed with seven long, strange wood as long as Baekhyun kept in the centre. These wooden rods were moving at different speeds.</p><p>“That’s a clock, I suppose,” Chanyeol kneeled at the edge of the ring, “These Linastones are somehow creating a sort of heat pool, which is attracting the rods…although, I wonder why they are moving at different speeds. Is it the length?”</p><p>“Partially, yes.”</p><p>Both of them jumped at the sudden intrusion and looked up to see the approaching figure of Kinnaras. He had a face like a rock which had been thrown off from the top of a flying dragon, jutted with nerves. His body was strange, as if the creator hadn’t been able to decide which form he had wanted him to take. His upper body was bulky and muscular, and his midriff extended into the feathery skin of a bird, while he had the limbs of a horse.</p><p>Before they could utter another word, Kinnaras continued, “Mr Park, the heat isn’t given <em>out </em>by linastones. They’re absorbing the solar energy, and creating a replica of the solar arrangement, thus this time doesn’t have to do with the time of Aurora – no, it has to do with <em>time.</em>”</p><p>Time. Baekhyun nodded. He didn’t understand why they’re suddenly being lectured about time, and he didn’t understand half of what the old man said, but he knew Chanyeol was interested.</p><p>“That’s…really interesting, Sir,” Chanyeol bowed down a little, “What are your thoughts about <em>time</em>? The one that flows without bounds of Aurora or earth.”</p><p>Kinnaras’ lips twitched up and Baekhyun wondered what was wrong with him, before realizing that the old man was <em>smiling, </em>“And that is why, Mr Park – and Mr Byun – I have called you over today. Let’s discuss about <em>time.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Alea jacta est - The die is cast</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The interior of the hut was different from what Baekhyun had expected, but really, his expectations had only extended up to a man-cave, with mud and feathers of birds. He sneaked a look at the old man – his face still appeared as if a carriage had run over it, but his legs, and feathers were groomed. Surrounded by bushy eyebrows were glimmering grey eyes.</p><p>And Baekhyun wondered – he really thought – why did he <em>think </em>so badly of his Arithmetic teacher? Probably, the fact that he had the tag of being an Arithmetic teacher, and Baekhyun really, <em>really </em>wasn’t fond of numbers.</p><p>Kinnaras’ house was full of them. There was a furry cot on one edge, and a huge carpet in the middle, with a wooden rocking chair. The back of the hut had a vast window, and a telescope was propped against it. Many watches were hanging from strings that connected the windows to the cot, and there were mirrors, and so many papers with numbers, numbers and more numbers. Pens, rulers, pencils were splayed around the area – so many that could last the entire Aurorian population.</p><p>On the stove, a pot was bubbling, giving an aromatic…but strange smell, very similar to the long trees that lined a part of the Weary Woods.</p><p>“Is that…Cypress?” Baekhyun was <em>just </em>a bit appalled, “Isn’t that used as an oil?”</p><p>The old man grunted, “The juice from the needles and cones work better, kid.”</p><p>
  <em>Kid?</em>
</p><p>Kinnaras continued, “Besides, you need to have some strength to drink it, come on, have a glass.”</p><p>Baekhyun hurriedly shook him away, “Um – no, I’m fine.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes were wide, “What benefits do they have, Sir?” <em>Ugh, Chanyeol, this is not the time to nerd out. </em>The old man looked pleased, and Baekhyun was more than a hundred per cent sure that this was the only time that someone had been curious about his lifestyle.</p><p>“The pines work well with your liver,” he patted his feather-ridden midriff, “And work your bladder. Very healthy.”</p><p>Baekhyun tried not to puke, “Why did you call us-”</p><p>“Can I have a drink, please?” Chanyeol asked, extending a hand.</p><p>The old man grunted, “With pleasure.” He moved towards the pot, and took two glasses – for Aurora’s sake, <em>no </em>– and with a ladle, poured a greenish slimy liquid into the glass, and brought them back. Baekhyun eyed the repulsive liquid, before he decided to man up and drink it whole.</p><p>It was a bad decision.</p><p>In an instant, his body contracted harshly, and then released. Bile crawled up his throat, and his eyes welled up. Just as fast as it all came about, it was gone, and Baekhyun could breathe again.</p><p>“I – what was that?” He croaked out.</p><p>Kinnaras laughed, “Just a little bit of dragon scale. Now, you’re awake, aren’t you kid?”</p><p>Baekhyun decided not to say anything, but he was seriously debating his ‘peacefulness’ at that moment. Instead, he looked at Chanyeol. The taller was heaving lightly but other than that, he appeared fine –</p><p>“That was…really intense, sir,” Chanyeol chose his words carefully. He should’ve been the heir instead. He was more tuned to that image.</p><p>Kinnaras smiled lightly before settling down on the wooden chair, while they took a seat at the cot. The air shifted, and Baekhyun knew they’d finally get what they had come for –</p><p>“Do you have any idea what these numbers are, kids?” He spread his hands and swept them around. Baekhyun eyed the room. <em>Numbers. Telescopes. Time.</em></p><p>Chanyeol beat him to the answer, “You’re observing the trajectories of the stars…or the planets? And noting them down to form a basis on which you could define time.”</p><p>Kinnaras was pleased. His eyes were soft, “A great guess, Mr Park. You’re right – mostly – I’ve done some research, and I’ve found out that time moves differently for magic.”</p><p>Baekhyun looked at the man, “What do you mean?”</p><p>Kinnaras eyed him, “You’re from Earth, aren’t you, kid?” Baekhyun gripped his trousers, and nodded, “There’s a difference in the time there, and the time here. You don’t see it, but there’s a difference. This time difference allows you to cross the two worlds. Between Earth and between Crosswords, there is an emptiness, and you travel through this emptiness.”</p><p>“What’s the term for it, sir?” Chanyeol asked, “Surely, this difference isn’t called ‘emptiness.’”</p><p>“It isn’t. In fact, the term for that isn’t important. You see, on Earth, they have stars of a single colour but here we have colourful stars, but then we have the sun and moon, and they do too – but the land of earth and the land here isn’t much different. We have magical creatures, and rocks like linastones and they don’t,” Kinnaras said, “There’s only one explanation.”</p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t really follow it up, but he understood the vague idea. Kinnaras was saying that the worlds existed on the spectrums of different times – and that difference between those spectrums was what they crossed with the help of magic, and what existed in that difference was emptiness.</p><p>“We stand on the same ground, but see different skies, and see the same skies, but stand on different grounds. Tell me Park Chanyeol, for I know you’re close to the answer, what can it mean?” His eyes were hopeful. The grey seemed to be shining as the sun peeked over the clouds.</p><p>Baekhyun eyed Chanyeol. The taller’s eyes were glimmering; the honeyed-hazel flecks shone like diamonds, and then he said –</p><p>“Parallel realities,” his voice was rushed, “That’s what you’re hinting at.”</p><p>The old man leaned back, “I’m impressed, kid. I’d think <em>you </em>were the heir,” he side-eyed Baekhyun with distaste – a look that the shorter fought with the <em>sweetest </em>smile he could muster. The old man tore eye contact away and continued, “And between these parallel realities, where Crosswords is the elite – <em>sin-free – </em>reality, and Earth is the sinful one, there exists a balance.”</p><p>That had Baekhyun’s attention, “What balance?”</p><p>As soon as the words were out, the temperature in the room seemed to fall. There was something in the air, something new…something chilling. <em>Balance </em>– it was a scary word. Back where he lived, there was a tale. A rich farmer owned a huge scale, on which he’d put two different kinds of people – the rich and the poor, the fat and the thin and they’d have to both balance each other by gaining or losing things. The scariest version was when a happy man who treasured the gift of life was placed with a sad man who just wanted life to end, and for becoming equal, the happy man had to kill the sad man by his own hands, and hate the pain that it brought forever – had something to scar him. And the sad man? He let out the first laughs after years because his pain was finally being wiped out.</p><p>No ghost stories had scared him as much as that one had.</p><p>“After a certain period of time, the emptiness that exists between both worlds add up until it becomes something bigger…something that can bear another time in it.”</p><p>“And what is that?” Chanyeol asked. His voice wasn’t as small as Baekhyun – he was curious, very much so.</p><p>After a short beat, Kinnaras said, “Misery. <em>Temporae Miserae. </em>She exists, but only after a period of time is she strong enough to cross between both worlds. She takes away misery from the Earth and drops it here. She brings out the deepest desires, the unspoken secrets, reignites the curses and every time she crosses, she brings disaster - a balance. That’s what Earthrens call ‘karma.’ And that’s what we call the Veil – the veil lifts, and it’s all bare for you to see,” Kinnaras took a breath, “According to my calculations, she crossed once every one-hundred-seventh year.”</p><p>Baekhyun was listening – he was – but at the same time, his mind was somewhere else - to dark visions, and haunting voices and a grasp of light.</p><p>
  <em>I am just the only one who has enough courage to tell you the truth. I’m not cruel…but I shall cross again. And this time, you’re the victim.</em>
</p><p>Suddenly, the strings connected. The puzzle had finally been pieced up and it was there for him to see –</p><p>“Don’t tell me…” His voice was soft, low and yet, it felt as if every single particle had stopped just to listen to him, “This is the one-hundred-seventh year, and she’s crossing.”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>A sweat bead dropped down Chanyeol’s nose, and it got lost into the carpet.</p><p>Kinnaras stood up to his full height, “You’re right, kid,” He walked back to the desk, where the scrolls lay open, “The masks are torn, and the facades are shredded and burned. The veil is up.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ne cede malis - Yield not to misfortunes</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the day, Baekhyun couldn’t focus on his lessons. Bits and pieces of his conversation with Kinnaras kept coming back to him –</p><p>
  <em>“People – they go crazy. I’ve lived for a long time, seen it all. The last heir, had eyes like you, hit his head and dove a dagger right through his lover’s heart. There was so much commotion – peace was sacrificed. It all blacked out. Books were burnt, torn and hidden. There is no record, except for the human eye – and nobody spoke a word of it.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Why? Why didn’t they?” Baekhyun had pestered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Kinnaras had looked up, his eyes glassy as if he had dropped into that emptiness spanned by Misery, “They – they didn’t remember. And those who did…died.”</em>
</p><p>He didn’t understand, or maybe, he did but didn’t want to accept it. <em>This </em>was happening again. It was scary, so unnatural – and he was the victim.</p><p>
  <em>“Why…does it happen, Sir?” Chanyeol had asked, “Isn’t there any way to stop it? Will Baekhyun go mad too?”</em>
</p><p>How easy had it been for Chanyeol to ask that question…he should’ve been in Kratos, the House of Strength, instead, or maybe in Historia, if it was the lust of knowledge that made him ask that question.</p><p>Because surely it couldn’t be love.</p><p>
  <em>“There’s a high chance he will, kid. He’ll try to kill someone that he’s destined to be with. And why does this happen? I think it’s a curse – it happens to every heir who happens to exist when the veil lifts up. Few have been lucky and ruled greatly. Your friend…doesn’t seem to be in that category.”</em>
</p><p>Why? Why wasn’t he in that category? Why was he getting cursed for something he didn’t do?</p><p><em>There had been a short pause before Chanyeol had continued, “There must be some way to stop this cycle. I can’t accept that something so twisted keeps going on because of a curse – who even cursed this anyway? How can the power of normal people compare to that of Aurora and the Guardian of Peace? There must be </em>some <em>breakthrough!”</em></p><p>Chanyeol had been so desperate for answers, while Baekhyun didn’t even have questions. He had only silence in his mind, and he knew asking questions would lead to answers that wouldn’t satisfy him…and this cycle would continue.</p><p>Just like the cycle of the ‘curse’ did.</p><p><em>“You have to understand, kid, that Misery isn’t responsible for the curse. She brings back all curses, all negative emotions that had been buried. She’s the catalyst…but the actual problem is the curse, and how could we break it. I’d have thought it was something that </em>had <em>to happen, but then, I realized that I was wrong. It didn’t have to happen. Every century, Aurora burns because of destruction by its own people, there’s war and I don’t understand it. I’ve never watched it from this close, or maybe I have, and I have forgotten. It’s always bloodshed.”</em></p><p>Bloodshed that people didn’t remember. A war that maybe happened. The land of peace burning because of its own people.</p><p>It didn’t add up. Something was missing.</p><p>
  <em>“How…how long will the veil be up?” it was the first question Baekhyun had asked.</em>
</p><p>The only one that had mattered. Maybe, if he was kept in isolation or put into some magic-induced coma or something, it would be fine. <em>Temporae Miserae </em>would pass and the world would be fine.</p><p><em>“To answer that, I have a proposal to make to your friend, kid,” Kinnaras’ eyes shifted to Chanyeol, “I need to compare the time of different years and figure out how long it will be until this emptiness is quenched. We’ll find out the duration of the veil…and that can lead us to someplace. But for that intensive research to be done in a short amount of time, I require help, Park Chanyeol, and I want </em>your <em>help.”</em></p><p>And what had Park Chanyeol done if not play the nerdy hero for the millionth time?</p><p>
  <em>He had bowed lightly, and said, “I’d be more than happy to, Sir.”</em>
</p><p>Now, Chanyeol was enrolled in not one but <em>two </em>special courses. Baekhyun was the heir, but sometimes, he felt that Chanyeol would be a better candidate honestly. He wished this ‘heirship’ was a baton he could pass…but he wouldn’t be evil enough to hand his best-friend this ‘going mad’ thing….at least, that’s what he hoped.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>There was a wrinkly skeleton on the dais.</p><p>His name for Gret. He was the professor who took their <em>Historia </em>lessons, speaking in a croaky, inhuman voice that sounded like dirt being mauled into a rock. Nobody knew much about Gret – his bones had faded and been damaged to a degree that it was unidentifiable if he was a male or female, and yet, Baekhyun called him ‘he.’ Jongdae thought it was a ‘she.’</p><p>And Gret, well, <em>he </em>was so above the normal human customs that he didn’t care what they called him.</p><p>“…In 1847, the Wall was rebuilt by the then-headmaster. Magic was restored and a balance was created-”</p><p>Baekhyun would rather study Earthren History, than the History of Crosswords. It was so confusing, with huge gaps. Nobody knew why the Wall had been damaged, nobody knew why the balance had shifted – everybody had just assumed it was because of Niutton’s third law of magic casting which stated that every cast magical spell impacts the caster: this was the reason why people who cast dark spells went crazy.</p><p>Yesterday, Baekhyun had been frustrated with the gaps. Today, Baekhyun was determined to fill the gaps.</p><p>After the class ended, Baekhyun stayed back. He walked over to the dais –</p><p>“Professor Gret, if you have a moment, could you help me out a bit?” He asked in his politest tone ever. At the professor’s sullen face – at least what hoped was sullen – he added, “And no, this has got nothing to do with your gender or any other details.”</p><p>The Professor let out a hum and sat back at the chair. His bones wobbled dangerously. Once Baekhyun was sure that the skeleton wasn’t going to die – wait, could skeletons die? – he continued, “I needed your help, Professor. This might be rather certain, but I really wanted more reading material over the entirety of the Historical spans, related more to the common people, their culture and art over time. Aren’t there books they have written?”</p><p>For a moment, there was silence before the Professor said, “You know very well, Mr Byun, most of the books were destroyed.”</p><p>“<em>Most </em>of them, Professor,” Baekhyun stressed, “I refuse to believe that in a city of words, there aren’t any books written <em>by </em>the people-”</p><p>“Why, Mr Byun, there are plenty of fiction books and classical literature-”</p><p>“-<em>about </em>the people,” he finished, “Professor, <em>please.</em>”</p><p>Gret had an unreadable expression on his face before he said, “And why do you want to know this?”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t skip a beat, “I have no convincing reasons, Professor. My curiosity just never accepts defeat. I want to know. I have a right to know my history, the history of my people, do I not? Correct me if I’m wrong, Professor.”</p><p>The orange sun rays bounced off the skin of an eighteen-year-old student blooming human with rosy cheeks, a relentless will and murderous desires and the gritty pale bones of a teacher older than history books of whom nothing was known. The walls listened to their conversation, the air was still as they talked; maybe, they too missed how they had been in the past.</p><p>After forever, Professor Gret said, “I don't have much to tell you, Byun Baekhyun, but I’ll tell you this. All the remaining books, the sources, anything that could lead students to fill the gaps between the pathetic history syllabi was locked and hidden in a library. I was present when the books were thrown in there.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes widened. Blood pumped furiously through his veins. <em>Finally…finally –</em></p><p>“Miserably, I was also present when we took the oath of secrecy, and if I mutter a word about the library, I shall be exiled out – and will turn to dust.” Facial expressions couldn’t really be seen on the face of a skeleton, but the melancholy and sadness present in the air was enough to let Baekhyun know: <em>Gret was bound. He actually couldn’t.</em></p><p>Baekhyun deflated, “I – I understand, Professor. I shall not put you through that.”</p><p>The sun rays were rather bleak. It felt as if the air and the walls had just released a huge sigh. Eminent disappointment filled every corner – was that how the ‘emptiness’ felt?</p><p>But, then Professor Gret said, “I can’t mutter a word about the library, Baekhyun. But…I can tell you something about the books.”</p><p>He lifted his head, “What?”</p><p>“Aurora – the deity,” the skeleton wasn’t looking at him, “She had written a book, and the Guardian had written one too. These books – they exist. They are not in the library though.”</p><p>Many questions piled up in his mind, but he asked the first one, “Wait, <em>guardian?</em> You mean Aurora had written two books.”</p><p>Gret waved him away, the bones doing a weird wave, “Oh, no, no. I mean the <em>Guardian. </em>Capital G. The Guardian of Peace. The one who protected Aurora.”</p><p>This was new information to Baekhyun. He had heard the term Guardian of Peace plenty of times over, but he had never known the tag didn’t belong to Aurora.</p><p>Gret continued, “The Guardian was similar to a soldier for Crosswords. Not a living soul knows much about him, except for the fact, that it was a <em>him</em>.” Baekhyun could’ve sworn that if Gret had eyes, he’d have winked at him.</p><p>Wait, Gret couldn’t be the Guardian, right? They had a few things in common – unknown identity and the fact both their names started from G.</p><p>Yes, it wasn’t an extraordinary observation.</p><p>“This…Guardian – did you perhaps <em>know </em>him?” He waited for Gret to say something like ‘I am him.’</p><p>But that didn’t happen.</p><p>Gret let out a series of groans like a broken CD player that Chanyeol had grown addicted to in their second year. After a few seconds, Baekhyun realized he was laughing.</p><p>“I was born much, <em>much </em>later, Mr. Byun. By now, I would’ve been pure dirt.”</p><p>Baekhyun was disappointed, “I see…is there anything else you can tell me, Professor?”</p><p>Gret arose from his chair and his body creaked and groaned, “There’s nothing more I’m allowed to say, Mr Byun. But here’s a tip for you – <em>pay attention to the walls.</em>”</p><p>Then, after doing some weird motion with his eyes that Baekhyun was certain was a wink, Gret walked out of the room. </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Sunday, 5 July</strong>
</p><p>It was way past midnight, but Baekhyun found himself sitting against the headboard of his bed, and watching the opposite wall – no, the correct word was <em>staring. </em>He had barely glanced at the snoring figures of Jongin and Yuta and was just tracing the reflection of the strands of the moonlight on the wall. Again, and again, and again, until he was observing the shadows on the wall instead, just behind the bright, silvery rays.</p><p>There was no sound in the room, other than the sudden thundering outside, and the soft snoring of his roommates. His sheets crinkled when he pulled them up, and the bed groaned when he leaned a little far too back. His breathing was loud. It felt <em>criminal.</em></p><p>But, louder than all those sounds were the thoughts in his head.</p><p>They were screaming at him, taunting him, unorganized, thrown around like rags. They had no utility, just like him. He lightly traced the figure sleeping on his adjacent bed. Chanyeol’s legs were so tall that they slipped off the bed. The taller boy was extremely busy these days, studying the calendars and watching the stars. Baekhyun wasn’t <em>that </em>busy; he woke up and went to his classes, looked at the walls, found himself walking back and forth near the Flamma Tower – for that’s near to Elan’s Office - patrolling the floors, and staying up at night – with himself and his thoughts.</p><p>He was cold, the blanket had slipped off and the chilly air made him shiver. But, unlike his thoughts, his body lay numb.</p><p>Tomorrow would be the first Special class with Professor Grendel, and Baekhyun felt a deep fear. He was afraid of failure, and yet, he knew he would be met with nothing but that. In the past, he had been brave, he had claimed his title as the <em>heir, </em>he had been curious…but now, he felt like some stories were better left untold, some secrets weren’t meant to be revealed – peace and justice didn’t go together.</p><p>“Baekhyun.” The soft whine of his name, uttered by a groggy and deep voice from his left, “Go to sleep.”</p><p>He turned his head towards the sound. Chanyeol blinked blearily at him from the bed, rubbing an arm over his unfocused eyes. His lips were downturned – <em>he was tired. </em>And Baekhyun should’ve let him be, but the knot of pain in his gut was hard to fight, and the guilt that would follow after lying to the only person who understood him would hurt, even more, so he said –</p><p>“I can’t.” It was a simple statement, but enough to wake Chanyeol up. The taller lifted himself on his elbows and picked his glasses up from the bedside table, slipping them on.</p><p>“Is…something wrong?”</p><p>The heir didn’t reply. He didn’t know.</p><p>Chanyeol sat on his bed completely. His eyes shifted to the open window and the storming sky, and he leaned to close it, “It’s cold. You will freeze.”</p><p>Baekhyun wished he could. He counted his breaths until Chanyeol spoke again. <em>Six.</em></p><p>“Is it…the urge to kill me?” Before Baekhyun could say ‘no,’ the taller boy had already taken a vial from his table, “Drink it. Even if you don’t feel like you’re possessed, drink it.”</p><p>Baekhyun complied, simply because he didn’t want to be a further disappointment to Chanyeol.</p><p>So that was what this was – <em>the feeling of disappointment, </em>along with a little more. Seconds went by in silence. The concept of time was really useless.</p><p>“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol’s voice was soft, like a mountain filled with blankets and draped with clouds, “Are you okay?”</p><p>He was helpless when he turned his head to the taller, his eyes teary, and said, “I – I’m not.”</p><p>That was all it took. Chanyeol patted his bed, “Come here.”</p><p>“No – really – it’s fine-”</p><p>“Baekhyun.” It was a command. Chanyeol kept looking into his eyes, while he kept looking away, “I said come here.”</p><p>Slowly, he lifted up on his feet, stumbling over to stand right in front of the taller. In the mirror behind, all he could see was his eyes. They were melting stars, shining, twinkling in the dark.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe, the whole world is wrong, and stars actually cry when they twinkle.</em>
</p><p>“What is it?” Chanyeol’s voice still had traces of sleep in it, but his eyes kept scanning Baekhyun’s face. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”</p><p>The taller’s hands reached out and cupped his, drawing circles on the backside and caressing his thumb. The room was cold, but Chanyeol’s hands shot warmth to Baekhyun’s entire body, keeping him inside a bubble of comfort.</p><p>“It’s just,” he started shakily, “I’m so…<em>scared.</em>” A tear slipped down his eyes and he let out a choked sob that sounded more violent than the thunder. Chanyeol’s hand moved up his arms to cup his face –</p><p>“Sit.” The taller boy helped him sit on the bed, “What are you scared of?”</p><p>Thousands of words and sentences came up to his mind, thoughts racing up and down like a whirlwind, but all that came out was –</p><p>“I’m not good enough,” <em>Sob, </em>“To fight against all of this. I – I can’t deal with this, Chanyeol.”</p><p>Before he could cry his heart out into eternity, and then cry a little more, he felt a slap delivered to the top of his head and looked up at his best friend. His chin wobbled. Chanyeol’s eyes were bright hazel, his nose was up, but his lips were pulled into a small smile –</p><p>“First of all, who said you were not good enough? Baekhyun, you’re the youngest prefect, you smile and make people happy, you made a <em>wand </em>out of water, you’re quick and decisive, and you’re very practical.” Chanyeol listed all of them and those words, Baekhyun had told himself numerous times, but this time when they were spoken in the words of his best friend, he believed them, “Apart from everything, Byun Baekhyun, you’re perfect.”</p><p>Something clicked.</p><p>Maybe, it was a piece of his broken life.</p><p>Maybe, it was the lamp that he had turned off.</p><p>Maybe, it was the smile on his face that clicked in place.</p><p>But Chanyeol didn’t stop there, “And secondly, you aren’t going to deal with all of this alone, Baek. I’m here with you. Weren’t you the one who told me that I could be your smarter counterpart? Or was that a fake promise?”</p><p>He let out a sound between a sob and a cry, “No, no. I meant it. I’m sorry, these days I don’t feel my worth,” he looked down at his hands as he pulled onto the fingers, “I’m guilty and evil, Chanyeol. I cast a dark spell, I tried to <em>hurt </em>you, I – I’m scared,” He sighed, and felt the tears bubbling up again. His chest hurt, and so did his head. He wanted to think, and at the same time, he didn’t want to be left alone with his thoughts.</p><p>Suddenly, Chanyeol’s arms wound around him as the taller boy shifted back, leaning against the headboard. Baekhyun breathed in sharply. Chanyeol smelled of lemon, and something buttery. There was also a tinge of ink, scrolls and metal on him, from his work, but all of that faded into the background and all he could feel was warmth, and love, and happiness.</p><p>No place could feel like home as this.</p><p>And he knew – oh, he knew – there was something wrong with that. Chanyeol was his best friend, but relying on him with <em>that </em>intensity, it wasn’t healthy, and he <em>knew. </em>But for a child like him with a poor cottage that couldn’t survive storms, was it so bad to wish for a certain pair of arms around him?</p><p>“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol’s voice rumbled in his chest. Baekhyun could feel the vibrations travelling down his skin, “The dark spell, the evil – it wasn’t you.”</p><p>The heir shook his head, “It <em>was </em>me; my deepest desires, my—”</p><p>“No, Baekhyun, it wasn’t <em>you,</em>” Chanyeol almost shouted, and then they fell to silence, breathing heavily, waiting for their roommates to wake up. Jongin shifted a bit, before continuing to let out snores. At that moment, the skies finally gave up, and let their tears fall. The sound of rain was like a muted drum march but it quickly turned into the white noise when Chanyeol continued, “It was the heir, the curse, the veil. It wasn’t you with your sharp tongue, eye smiles, bouncy self, weird spells…and—”</p><p>Baekhyun took in a sharp breath and waited.</p><p>“—bad jokes.”</p><p>He let out a snort, “You’re the last person to say that, nerd.” The word slipped out easily, and only then did Baekhyun notice how long it had been since he last called Chanyeol ‘nerd.’ Maybe Chanyeol was right. That stupid heir and curse thing – it was problems that he had to deal with, but it wasn’t <em>him. </em>This – this was him, here, so close to Chanyeol, calling him a nerd and giving away quick smiles.</p><p>He felt more alive like this.</p><p>“Baek, I never said I was good at jokes,” Chanyeol started, “But yours still suck.”</p><p>He pouted in defiance – yeah, this was definitely him. The pout gave way to a smile, a very bright smile. Chanyeol’s expression shifted for a moment. His eyes <em>changed – </em>no, not in the evil way, but something else, in a way that Baekhyun didn’t want to name, so the heir buried his head into his best <em>friend’s </em>shirt and shut his eyes.</p><p>“Thank you, Chanyeol.”</p><p>The arms around him tightened, squeezing him for a moment. The taller shifted down, so that he was on the bed and Baekhyun was above him. It was intimate, but they didn’t care. Maybe, their relationship was deeper than that of friends, but they didn’t care. Chanyeol pulled the covers up and delivered a light peck to Baekhyun’s forehead – his lips were chapped, but it was okay. Baekhyun felt comforted, he felt cared for.</p><p>The blanket provided him warmth against the cold, but only Chanyeol’s arms could give him the warmth that spread through his entire body, engulfed his heart and mind and gave him courage for every one of his battles.</p><p>But the battles would come later. First, they needed to sleep.</p><p>Chanyeol slid his glasses off and buried his face into Baekhyun’s messy hair, threading through the black strands with his hand.</p><p>“Goodnight, bringer of light,” Chanyeol’s voice was filled with adoration.</p><p>He smiled into Chanyeol’s chest, as slumber finally overtook him –</p><p>“Same to you, <em>nerd.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Furor arma ministrat - Rage supplies arms</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 6 July</strong>
</p><p>After classes ended on Monday, they found themselves sitting in Professor’s Grendel office, in the same manner, however this time, there was excitement on their faces rather than exasperation. The setting sun imparted deep designs on the floor, and Baekhyun traced their patterns, as the high lady ruffled through her drawers for something.</p><p>“Ah, here it is!” Germania Grendel exclaimed, pulling out a rectangular dusty box from her drawer. She placed it on the main table, and took her wand out, casting a clean (no pun intended) – <em>clean as a whistle – </em>spell, and the dust flew off the box in seconds. Chanyeol coughed –</p><p>“It sure seems…old, Professor,” he was careful with his words. Though Germania was kind, she was still a professor.</p><p>“It is, Mr. Park. We don’t give special lessons anymore, which I must say, is disappointing.” She wiped the box with a shimmering fleece, “This is for waking up its magical abilities.”</p><p>Once she was done, she looked at them, “Now, watch carefully.”</p><p>Baekhyun and Chanyeol leaned in closer, eyes wide, as Professor Grendel lifted her wand and tucked the ends of her sleeves in. She shut her eyes and twirled her wand – a diagonal swipe, then two curves, like a pear –</p><p>
  <em>“Infinite locks, shall I unlock, with my one key,”</em>
</p><p>A pink light blinded the room, and when it passed, the wooden box lay open. She looked up to smile at them –</p><p>“It’s a simple lock and key spell, but we don’t hear of it.”</p><p>Chanyeol, the ever-curious, asked, “Why not? It seems efficient.”</p><p>She pointed to the box, “It is. It is <em>too </em>efficient. There are hardly any light lock spells, it doesn’t work upon.”</p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun remained quiet. <em>Why? </em>Because a professor had just mentioned ‘light’ spells. It was a given that all the spells they learnt were light – nobody ever mentioned that it was a ‘light’ spell, for that brought questions of what other spells could be there.</p><p>And well, the absence of light is darkness.</p><p>Nobody was allowed to talk about the existence of dark spells. It was a heavy crime, one for which, you could lose all the goodwill points you’ve earned.</p><p>Germania Grendel just smiled at them, “There’s a reason why we don’t give special lessons anymore, but it would be a crime to waste the potential you have by teaching you only what you’re supposed to be taught.”</p><p>The sun rays struck the pin on Germania’s hair, and she seemed to be glowing. Baekhyun was thankful that people like her – like Gret, and even Kinnaras existed. These people weren’t scared of the law, didn’t mind the boundaries, and only relished in the power of knowledge. He wanted to be like that.</p><p>He smiled, “Then, please, do not commit such a crime, Professor.”</p><p>Time stood still as they practised and learnt and grew.</p><p>Something was addicting in the air that came with the notice of doing something forbidden, and Baekhyun was drunk upon it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 11 July</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Pay attention to the walls.</em>
</p><p>Zhang Yixing, his friend and prefect for Flamma, the house of strength, was feeling under the weather, thus Baekhyun had agreed to take over his patrolling to help him out…and also because Elan’s office was near the Flamma tower.</p><p>Two walkways extended out from the castle’s Eastern walls, built over the lake, and joined to another building, with two towers – a watchtower, and the Flamma Tower, which was tall and stretched to the pinnacle. A turret jutted out near the pinnacle, perched atop a corbel, and that was where the man who had told Baekhyun to call him ‘father’ worked.</p><p>Baekhyun spent his time walking on the floor, front and back. There were not many classes in this part of the castle, other than the night chants, combat chants, concoctions and some activities in Cosmos and Astronomy for which they had to climb up to the pinnacle. The walls here were dark, and the windows had no glasses or curtains. Historians said that this part of the castle was, in fact, the first built Academy, however, it had been earthed in the eighteenth century for some reason, and in the nineteenth century, it got unearthed – again, for some unknown reason.</p><p>He now had an inkling of what these ‘unknown’ reasons were.</p><p>
  <em>Baekhyun.</em>
</p><p>He turned back, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was nobody. The halls were as empty and dark as they always had been. He waved it away as the wind, but his gut feeling said something was awfully wrong. He brought Aqua out, keeping her clenched in his fist. <em>Just in case,</em> and continued strolling. The steps of his footsteps sounded foreign to him, loud in an otherwise empty ground.</p><p>
  <em>You’re scared.</em>
</p><p>He paused. There was no way it was the wind. He had heard that – <em>loud and clear. </em>The voice – it was a single voice. It wasn’t misery. It wasn’t a female at all, although that was harder to tell. The voice was light, but firm.</p><p>“Who…?” He spun around, facing the dark walls and then the sinking landscape outside the window. The strong wind ruffled his hair and whipped his face. He traced the rocky linings of the mountains, and the downward slope of the river. The moonlight shone upon the river, but it wasn’t pretty, no – it illuminated the linastones, and they glowed like skulls of dead humans thrown into the river.</p><p>It was scary.</p><p>
  <em>Hmph. I was right.</em>
</p><p>His heartbeat pulsated into nowhere, and he took Aqua out, “Come out, coward and fight me. Stop playing mind games.” He spoke into the extended view of Crosswords, as he stood near the window.</p><p>
  <em>This is not a game, Baekhyun – and please put that pathetic excuse of a wand down. If you were any braver, you would’ve been using my wand.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes widened, “M-my wand? Luna?” His hands were shivering. There was something wrong, a puzzle piece that was wrongly put. Something was missing.</p><p>A strong wind daunted out and slapped his face. This…voice – it wasn’t a person, not a physical person, not a guarding spirit, not a floating memory – no, memories were kind. He looked back at the river, and the linastones really seemed like skulls. His brain flashed back to the memory of drowning –</p><p>-        <em>pay attention to the walls.</em></p><p>He whipped his head to the wall and gasped. A red liquid was splayed across the world, filling the hallways with a strong metallic stench, and as the moonlight illuminated the words, he read –</p><p>
  <em>“This cycle will repeat, Aurora…until you make it right.”</em>
</p><p>The stench was overwhelming, everything was overwhelming. The last thing he heard was – <em>You are innocent, </em>before his vision blacked out, and he collapsed in the empty hall. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amor omnibus idem - Love is the same for all</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Lights danced around, flickering in and out of vision. There were sounds in the room, soft voices, movements, doors being shut. It was like standing outside a theatre, head pressed to the door, listening to the actors speak their lines. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had done that once.</p><p>-        <em>Chanyeol.</em></p><p>Suddenly, an influx of thoughts, memories and recollections struck his mind and he sat up straight, uncomprehending, but so, so alive. He was in a curved room, with huge windows. The sky was dark outside, a few pink and green stars shone under the black clouds, but that was it. The room was lit up in a pale-yellow glow, with a messy desk from across the couch he was resting in.</p><p>“Baekhyun.” A soft voice spoke, laced by a sort of deepness that came with extreme maturity, “Does your head still hurt?”</p><p>He focused on the source of the voice, and his eyes widened when he realized who it was: His legs worked on autopilot and he stood up, before falling back onto the couch –</p><p>“There, there,” Elan’s voice was calm, “Don’t take it harsh, yet.”</p><p>He nodded. His breathing was fast, and his heart was warm. <em>This was Elan.</em> He was in Elan’s office. He had been here plenty of times before, but that didn’t make him miss this place any less. This was his guardian, his guide, his father figure.</p><p>Elan moved around the room, graceful in his steps. His robes shimmering down his self, slender body weaving in and out of corners, delicate wrists and long fingers working their magic, and soon a silver-coloured liquid was presented in front of Baekhyun.</p><p>“It’s an Elixir for Control. Ever since Park Chanyeol told me that he’d been facing urges to hurt you, I’ve been really worried. I gave him another Elixir, meant for the same purpose, but this one shall work better.” Baekhyun eyed the glass, but he didn’t drink it yet, because Elan had said something that struck a chord in him.</p><p>“If you were so worried, why didn’t you ever see me?” Baekhyun asked, quick to dispute. He had been stuck in all this mess, hanging onto empty branches for information and praying for a saviour, but Elan wasn’t there.</p><p>Elan graced him with a small smile, “Learning emerged from struggle, Baekhyun. And while it hurt me to keep you in the dark, I needed you to <em>learn </em>before acting upon anything.”</p><p>“<em>Act?</em>” Baekhyun gasped, “I almost <em>killed </em>my best friend, in this ‘learning’ period. I’ve committed a crime.”</p><p>Elan perched himself upon his chair behind the desk, “People would disagree with me, but it was necessary to gauge your control level, and know the risks of crossing it, and Baekhyun, I knew you would have <em>never </em>committed such a crime.”</p><p>The air was still around them, as if waiting for Baekhyun to choose.</p><p>And his choice was always the same.</p><p>“I – I understand,” he gulped before looking up with a desperate look, “And I’m sorry for being so hot-headed.”</p><p>Elan smiled, and it relaxed him, “Don’t worry. Emotions aren’t meant to be locked, and you have done that for a long time. Come, take a seat.”</p><p>He got up and shifted over to the chair opposite to Elan. On the desk, a variety of items were kept – many pens, a crystal ball, feathers, wands, a quartz watch. The more mysterious the things were, the more they suited Elan.</p><p>“Kesh brought you here,” Elan started, “He found you lying in the hallway. What had happened, Baekhyun?”</p><p>Suddenly, Baekhyun’s mind flicked back to the voice, the wind and the wall. He explained everything to Elan, not leaving anything out. The man listened to him with patience, a kindness that pushed Baekhyun to talk about all his dreams, everything except three things: the book, his talk with Gret and Kinnaras’ inviting them. He didn’t know why, but somehow, they were private – more private than his casting a dark spell.</p><p>For a long moment afterwards, Elan didn’t speak. He watched the sky, fingers linked. Baekhyun remained patient, until he couldn’t help but prod his father for answers, and then Elan said –</p><p>“The veil is surely crossing, my boy, and darkness threatens to eat us whole, but you mustn’t be afraid. We can face this darkness by illuminating a torch – <em>learning. </em>Only knowing what we’re against will help us win, and thus, we shall learn,” Elan looked at the clock, “Tomorrow, I shall depart to the city. I have an old friend I need to meet, and he’ll surely tell me more about how to help you.”</p><p>“You’re leaving me alone?” Baekhyun asked, “What if – what if that voice returns in the middle of a class? What if people find out I’m crazy?”</p><p>“You are not, Baekhyun.”</p><p>“That’s what a mad-man tells himself!”</p><p>“<em>I </em>tell this to you – you aren’t insane,” Elan stated, “And I’m not leaving you all alone. I’ll ask the Combat teacher to help you with Control spells. He should call for you tomorrow.”</p><p>“And what – what about Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked helplessly.</p><p>“Mr Park’s glasses are enough of a protection. I’d just hope he doesn’t take them off,” Elan was about to stand up when Baekhyun stopped him –</p><p>“And – and Elan!” He called out, “Isn’t there any book, any written source that would help us understand what is happening? About the past? If this is a cycle, it will not only happen in the future, it has happened in the past. There must be <em>some </em>written source. It’s more beneficial than talking.”</p><p>Elan turned to look at him, and his eyes were empty when he said –</p><p>“There aren’t any books.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Sunday, 12 July</strong>
</p><p>The skies were blue, and the clouds were soft. Baekhyun and Chanyeol basked under the afternoon sun, as they lay underneath a tree in the grounds, wands in their hands, complaints in their mouths.</p><p>"- he said there were no books, when Gret had told me there was an entire library," Baekhyun narrated yesterday's events to Chanyeol as he cast the spell on his gifted book, "I don't understand this."</p><p>Chanyeol's eyebrows were scrunched, and the tip of his tongue was out in concentration as he cast the spell again, <em>"Infinite locks, shall I unlock, with my one key</em>."</p><p>Both of them held their breaths, but as expected, nothing happened.</p><p>Baekhyun sighed, "Are we casting it wrong?"</p><p>Chanyeol was troubled, "It works with normal locks though..."</p><p>Baekhyun didn't say anything. He lay on the soft grass, and crossed his arms over his head, watching the birds fly one after the other in the vastness of the sky. Suddenly, he was back to his cottage, watching the wheat fields dancing in the wind, and crows flying over it, peeking at the abandoned railway tunnel from time to time, waiting for a sign.</p><p>He was still waiting for a sign, an explanation, but the stars weren't aligned for him, yet.</p><p>"The hidden library is our only hope," Chanyeol spoke as he lay down too, "That skeleton seriously did not tell you anything else?"</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, "<em>Pay attention to the walls</em>. He said he's bound by life to the promise."</p><p>Chanyeol laughed a little, "Maybe, I'm a bit homicidal these days, but Gret is literally a skeleton. Does it matter if he dies?"</p><p>Baekhyun slapped his arms, "Hush. Don't be rude. He's got his own life and dreams."</p><p>Chanyeol rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'm so sorry for discriminating against a skeleton who teaches history for a living," Baekhyun couldn't help but smile a bit, "It's my own fault for worrying about my poor, little, pint-sized, cute best friend who has to save the world."</p><p>Baekhyun turned his head towards the taller, "I'm not pint-sized. You're just a pine tree."</p><p>For a second, they just stared at each other, revelling into their presence, when Chanyeol laid his arm out, "Come here. You don't spare me enough attention these days."</p><p>"You're not worthy of it," Baekhyun joked, sticking his fist into Chanyeol's chest but moving closer, head on the taller's arm, letting his lemony scent wash over him, as Chanyeol moved his other arm over his waist. Baekhyun closed his eyes.</p><p>They stayed like that, eyes closed, hugging close, under the warm sunlight and the white sky - two kids with big problems...but bigger hopes.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> Monday, 20 July</strong>
</p><p>"-tilt your wand more!" Professor Grendel's voice shouted at them, "The recoil energy must not be centred at you."</p><p>Sweat glided down the bridge of his nose, his limbs were aching and his breathing was heavy. But he followed her command like an obedient child, and adjusted his stance. They were trying out Force chants. He had never heard or seen of the chants that he spoke before.</p><p>"G<em>alactic subcinctus!" </em>He chanted, flicking his wrist and fingers in strange and quick motions before tilting the back end away, but he wasn't quick enough. A dull throb registered against his shoulders and Aqua flew out of his wands once again. Just a little further, he watched as Chanyeol's spell registered against the dummy, knocking it down completely.</p><p>He sighed. He wasn't good at this.</p><p>Professor Grendel crossed her arms and walked towards them, with a pensive face, "I think...the problem isn't with your skill, but your wand."</p><p>Baekhyun held his breath.</p><p>"For the next lesson, I want you to use your original wand."</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Thursday, 23 July</strong>
</p><p>Baekhyun kicked a pebble ahead as he walked the path leading to the Eastern Tower - the <em>Aphrodite </em>House. He wasn't in the mood for dinner. He'd just finish his homework and head to sleep. That was his original plan, but a giant didn't stop pestering him -</p><p>"You aren't going to eat? Even a <em>little</em>?" Chanyeol shook his shoulder, "That's unhealthy, Baek, with the amount of pressure you're under."</p><p>It was nothing compared to the work the taller one was doing - waking up at the brink of dawn and skipping breakfast to indulge himself in numbers, and calendars. When Baekhyun had asked him how it was going, all Chanyeol had said was -</p><p>"We're closer to the truth," and then he had continued doing his homework.</p><p>Since he didn't want Baekhyun's help, (not like he could offer any sort of help. Calendars weren't his strongest suit.) the heir had resorted to saving some breakfast every day for Chanyeol - all his favourite dishes.</p><p>"I just want to sleep," Baekhyun announced. They walked for a little while, their steps patting against the asphalt.</p><p>Chanyeol rubbed his nape and his eyes darted towards Baekhyun, "You didn't even tell me what happened, today. How was the class with Professor Heechul?"</p><p>Baekhyun rolled his eyes, "It's nothing great, believe me. He had me run around the ground for hours upon hours," he flexed his leg, "Ugh, everything hurts."</p><p>"That's more reason why you should eat first," Chanyeol prompted. He ignored Baekhyun's groans and continued, "Come on, Baek...give me a chance to repay you."</p><p>"For?" Baekhyun notched one eyebrow, "Being so much trouble?"</p><p>"For breakfast, and for -" his face reddened, and he didn't say anything else, "Please, just eat a little. I heard they're making rice cakes today."</p><p>Baekhyun stopped and contemplated. Eating didn't sound bad now. He agreed to Chanyeol's wish and the taller did a quick victory dance - so dumb - but Baekhyun couldn't lie that he was sporting the biggest smile of today.</p><p>"If I find out you're lying about the rice cakes, then I'll—”</p><p>"Do what?" Chanyeol challenged, "Kill me? Been there, Baek."</p><p>Baekhyun pulled his arm out of the taller's hold, "That isn't even funny."</p><p>Chanyeol smiled, and pulled Baekhyun closer - soft, careful - "I know. I'm sorry. It's just...everything's bursting of happiness around you."</p><p><em>So am I. </em>Baekhyun thought, as he allowed himself to be led to the dining hall.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Quod me nutrit me destruit - What nourishes me destroys me</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Wednesday, 5 August </p><p>The whole world had faded out in the background, and between him and everything else, in the deep chasm, there was one object that shone, and spread darkness at the same time. Placed on his food, jagged at the edges, long and beautiful, <em>Luna </em>looked like a mythical weapon.</p><p>The door opened with a creak, and Chanyeol walked in, frown evident on his face, “What are you doing?”</p><p>Baekhyun clicked his tongue, “Mustering up the courage…to pick that thing up.”</p><p>Seconds passed and became minutes, but he didn’t dare touch it. In the end, he gave up, and followed Chanyeol to the class: <em>he’d just try again tomorrow.</em></p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Thursday, 6 August</strong>
</p><p> Professor Heechul was disinterested, or at least that’s how his face appeared to be.</p><p>“So…you don’t like your wand?”</p><p>Baekhyun shuffled in his seat, “I don’t feel comfortable. It acts like a trigger, I think.”</p><p>“Then, we should practice your Control Classes with that,” Heechul suggested, “It’s better than making you run around, and meditate.”</p><p>“No!” Baekhyun exclaimed, before backing off, “I – uh, I mean – not <em>now.</em>”</p><p>The Professor shrugged, “All right, heir. As you say.”</p><p>Baekhyun looked down, admiring the edges of the tiles, and how they fit in with each other like perfect puzzle pieces. He wished his life was like that. His eyes trailed up the tiles, up to the walls, and he gasped as words formed upon the surface, written in a language that he had never learnt, but understood all the same:</p><p>
  <em>Under the weary witch, further the crystal drops,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A torn piece of sky by the traitor’s top,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The rage and anger that never saw the light,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Written in pages, locked for ages, in the night,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shall be opened by the one who was hurt,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The one who was drowned, and unheard</em>
</p><p>“Byun Baekhyun!” He tore his eyes away from the wall and turned to the Professor.</p><p>“Y-Yes?”</p><p>“I said it’s time for you to leave.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 9 August</strong>
</p><p>It was late, and the sky had deepened into the night. Baekhyun shuffled his feet, tapping the floor with his soft shoes. He adjusted the lit up Aqua in his hands, and turned back to face Chanyeol –</p><p>“We’re safe to go.”</p><p>Their footsteps pattered in the silence as they made their way out of the hallway. The castle was quiet, and the only sounds heard were of animals and some ghosts that had never found peace. As they entered the main hallway, there was a sudden whoosh, and words were imprinted on the walls:</p><p>
  <em>Rules aren’t for everyone.</em>
</p><p>Chanyeol snickered lightly and oh, Baekhyun didn’t mind. The tall klutz had a weird sense of humour. Suddenly, the heir pulled on Chanyeol’s arm and dragged them underneath a stair wall. The taller struggled in his hold.</p><p>“Hush!” Baekhyun whispered, “It’s the guards.”</p><p>Just on cue, a series of harsh footsteps was heard, as well as some sniffs, before the sound became distant, until it dropped.</p><p>“Come.”</p><p>They went out again, making sure to keep low and stay hidden. Their wands were lit to a bare minimum to not alert anybody and provide light at the same time.</p><p>“Here!” Chanyeol grabbed his hand and pushed them near a wall. He put his hand behind a painting, and the wall creaked heavily as it opened. <em>Shit. </em>The sound <em>wasn’t </em>good for them. With heavy breathing and shaky hands, Baekhyun cast a silencing-chant. The magic worked well, and it worked quickly.</p><p>When the wall had shifted, they entered it. Once or twice, the sounds of footsteps or wails reached their ears, but they had already cast an invisibility bubble chant over them, so they were safe – at least, that’s what they hoped. The hallway inside was ancient, wooden with algae on some parts, and smelt of the earth – an underground route. They just had to hope that there weren’t any detectors in here.</p><p>Baekhyun walked forward, checking the woody ceiling, and testing it with his wand for detectors, but he hadn’t seen the floor. His foot stepped over something slippery and he yelped as the ground was pulled from under his feet. He skidded the whole way, and prepared himself for the painful fall –</p><p>-        Except it never came.</p><p>There was a warm hand grasping his waist, and another hand further up his nape, tugging on his hair. Chanyeol’s body was on top of him, legs awkward but balanced, holding them up together. Under the dim lighting, his eyes looked exquisite. Baekhyun couldn’t tear away from them. Time slowed down to non-existence as Chanyeol’s soft, warm breathing gently caressed his face, and his fingers slowly massaged the area around the dig in Baekhyun’s waist and leaving a fleeting sensation on the back of his neck.</p><p>
  <em>Warmth.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun found his eyelids drooping, and Chanyeol was getting closer…</p><p>Until all hell broke loose.</p><p> “Someone’s in there!” The voice was distant, muffled, but they could hear it. Immediately they parted, breathing hard, and eyes blown. For a moment, they stared at each other, paralyzed, before their eyes glanced down.</p><p>The patch of algae was glowing. It was a detector.</p><p>“We need to run,” Baekhyun said, and not a moment later, they were running, avoiding stepping on algae. The way parted into two – right and left.</p><p>“Right!” Baekhyun said, “It’s the right.”</p><p>Chanyeol picked a stone up and threw it on an algae patch on the left side, and it glowed too. That would hopefully distract the guards. They kept running until the earthy smell lessened, and the wood turned back into the normal flooring. They latched onto the door…but it was locked.</p><p>Chanyeol picked his wand, “<em>Infinite locks, shall I unlock, with my one key.</em>”</p><p>The result was immediate. The lock fell away, and the door opened. Baekhyun redid their invisibility charms, and they stepped out. They were in the Historia Wing, now. They walked a bit more until they found their destination.</p><p>“Ms Bunce must not be here, right?” Baekhyun asked.</p><p>Chanyeol shrugged, “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”</p><p>He cast the spell again, and the door opened. They were there – in the Great Library of Crosswords, headed for sections that they can’t access in the daylight.</p><p>They entered.</p><p>The library was dark, and they didn’t dare light it up. There was no cat-hybrid in sight, which meant that they were safe from Ms Bunce. They locked the library from the inside, heading to the internal section, and sitting on a desk. Finally, they were not in any immediate danger.</p><p>Baekhyun took the page out, in which he had jotted down the weird thing. He hadn’t been able to forget it – the sight of those words imprinted in his mind, although he hadn’t been able to write it down in the script it was written, so he’d just written what he had understood of it. Meanwhile, Chanyeol brushed through the shelves, in search of the Languages book that he had claimed had every existing language in the Universe.</p><p>“Found it!” The taller exclaimed, dusting the <em>heavy </em>book and keeping it on the desk, with a bang.</p><p>“Hush,” Baekhyun commanded, sliding the book towards him and turning the pages. One page for every language, alphabetical order. Byun Baekhyun knew four languages, including the strange script he had read earlier, thus all he had to do was flip through the pages and figure out which language he had read. Next to him, Chanyeol took a seat, and grabbed the paper that Baekhyun had brought, holding a detailed map for the Aurorian Kingdom: Crosswords. The only thing they had agreed on was that the lines lead to the Hidden Library.</p><p>“Read fast,” Chanyeol wasn’t looking at him, “We need to get this done as quickly as possible.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, turning back to the book, and turning the pages –<em> Are’are...Auhelawa…A’tong. </em>The only sounds were of pages ruffling and Chanyeol’s fast scribbling. It wasn’t much different than their study sessions, but this time their marks mattered much, <em>much </em>more. Failure wasn’t an open window.</p><p> </p><p>Time passed.</p><p>Chanyeol was waiting for Baekhyun to complete flipping through the pages, because they needed to discuss the lines. The heir was proud because he had made it up to the ‘V’ section, without accepting defeat. <em>Venetian…Veps –</em></p><p>He blinked.</p><p>“Chanyeol, look at this.” The taller leaned in close to his shoulder, breathing in his ear. Soon, he was frowning.</p><p>“What is that?”</p><p>After <em>Veps </em>and before Vietnamese, there was a small box, which had a word of another language, all strokes, under which it was written:</p><p>
  <em>Read: Vey-shig-i</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Origin: Veysigz (Geographical Position: Unknown)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Remarks: Language of Pain and Misery. (Citation Required)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dead Language, Mystery Language (Citation Required).</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Remarkable Speakers: Viscaris (belonging to the Aurorian Myth as rumoured)</em>
</p><p>“The first word…Veyshigi,” Chanyeol turned his head towards Baekhyun, eyes blown, “I can read it!”</p><p>Baekhyun turned his attention to the book. His hands were shaking lightly. He could read it too. That’s where the box ended, and Vietnamese Section started. <em>Pain. Misery.</em></p><p>“Who is Viscaris? And what is the Aurorian Myth?” Chanyeol wondered out loud, but before he could finish that sentence, there was a choking grip around his throat. His eyes watered as he stared at the hand, and then the person inflicting pain on him –</p><p>Baekhyun wanted to kill, and he <em>would</em>.</p><p>His eyes were red, filled with pain and <em>anger – </em>loads and loads of misery, as if he had swallowed chaos. His veins bulged out, an ugly shade of blue and red, and a hot tear fell down his cheek and splashed on the book. His teeth were bared, sneering at Chanyeol in a way he had never wanted to see.</p><p>“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol’s voice sounded distant to him, all lies and made up apologies that he didn’t want to hear, “Stop it!”</p><p>He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop.</p><p>His wrist ached as he tightened the grip, and Chanyeol’s hand was on his wrist. It hurt. Everything hurt. His body was burning, melting, anger and rage, and the only way to release it all would be to <em>destroy </em>Chanyeol. He wanted him gone, dissipated into dust that he could stomp upon. The devil's back hit the desk, and his grip on Baekhyun’s hand faltered. His other hand reached for his glasses, trying to take it off.</p><p>
  <em>What? Why?</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun kneed him in the stomach and Chanyeol bent over, coughing. His glasses almost slid off the bridge of his nose. Anger permeated the room, and misery haunted it. Finally, revenge would be served. Baekhyun would never see this lowlife, shitty, painful creature that had haunted his beloved. Finally, justice and peace would co-exist.</p><p>Finally, his heart will heal and Aurora will be his.</p><p>“B-Baekhyun…!” It was Chanyeol’s voice, faded in his mind, ringed by a filter of hatred, “It…hurts!”</p><p>
  <em>Baekhyun.</em>
</p><p>His eyes widened and his grip on <em>his </em>neck faltered.</p><p>He was Baekhyun, not…</p><p>
  <em>Who are you?</em>
</p><p>His grip tightened again. <em>You don’t have to know. I want my revenge.</em></p><p>Suddenly, the world was getting darker again, painful, suffocating – <em>no! </em>He pleaded, but the voice didn’t respond. He raised his other hand to his face, and pulled harshly at his face, slapped it, tore at his hair.</p><p>“Baek!”</p><p>It was Chanyeol.</p><p>He opened his eyes that he hadn’t realized were closed. Chanyeol’s eyes were teary and red. He was hurting – Baekhyun <em>was </em>hurting him.</p><p>Immediately, he retracted his hand. It was shaking like a leaf hanging onto a tree in a storm. The voice arose again, and the world became painful, but he pushed it down. Then, it came again, and he pushed it down <em>once more. </em>He was going insane – fuck, he was going insane. Just before, the voice could overtake him again, he found himself on the desk, his arms pinned down by Chanyeol’s hands.</p><p>“Breathe.” It was a command. The urgency in his voice surged down Baekhyun and he forced himself to follow the command. <em>In. Out. </em>Simple. But it wasn’t, because his tears didn’t stop. He wasn’t any different than a lost child, an abandoned human. His chest hurt as if it had been stabbed repeatedly, and his legs had already given out.</p><p>The silence was broken by loud cries that only became louder, before a hand was plastered to his mouth. Another hand floated across his eyes, and he shut them, before opening them right up – darkness. He was afraid of the darkness. He didn’t want to face it.</p><p>“<em>C-Chanyeol…</em>” It was a sob, filled down to the end with pure, raw <em>pain</em>, “I’m scared.”</p><p>A hand on his cheek forced him to look above–</p><p>“Look at me,” Chanyeol’s voice was uncharacteristically  soft, “Baek, just look at me, hmm?”</p><p>Baekhyun did. He looked into his favourite pair of brown eyes, tried to map out the hazel flecks. But he didn’t like the red in them. He didn’t like the tear line that contrasted against Chanyeol’s soft skin, and he <em>hated </em>that <em>he </em>was the one who had caused that.</p><p>“I – I’m-” He broke into sobs again. The voice scared him. Chanyeol’s tears hurt him. The darkness and the pain haunted him, “Can’t do this, please, can’t..”</p><p>And maybe, Chanyeol thought the same. He let his head fall to the nook of Baekhyun’s neck, breathing in his scent, and letting his weight drop on the smaller boy. The heir pressed his best-friend close to him, wrapping his limbs around him, like a giant koala. Chanyeol chuckled lightly, but he only tightened his hold – they’d see what they had to do tomorrow. For today, they would just wipe away the sins and the pain <em>those voices </em>had inflicted upon them.</p><p>“Let’s call it a day, hmm?” Chanyeol suggested.</p><p>When they finally left the library with the paper in hand, Baekhyun somehow felt like it was the last time. </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Optimum est padi quot emedare non possis - It is better to endure what you cannot change</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He was walking through a long hall, his poulaine shoe brisk upon the hard marble. There was a creaminess in the air, as if butter had been kept on his eyelids. The windows on the halls led to the view of the mighty garden, with green trees, sparkling fairies and plump, juicy fruits.</p><p>It was a nice day.</p><p>“<em>Elijah,</em>” A voice promptly called out. He paused, the tip of his shoe tapping the floor, his huge, veiny hands folded by his sides.</p><p>“Yes, Valentine?”</p><p>In his vision, a lady dressed up in a long gourmet gown, a tight corset top, and flowy golden hair appeared. Her hands were folded, and panic ran through her eyes:</p><p>“We have been betrayed,” her voice shook slightly, and red-rimmed eyes looked into his, “Aurora ran away. She had left the kingdom, left us-” he didn’t think he could ever forget how her eyes glanced up, wide, painful, <em>unbelieving, </em>“-left <em>you.</em>”</p><p>The creamy vision shattered into dark, ragged, killer pieces – a dream that could never be true. Then, the scene changed and wide sky stretched above him, but it got further and further away. Bubbles – <em>wait, what? – </em>arose above him, and a fish glided by. His chest constricted and tightened like coils of a snake and the pain expanded and expanded. Just as he couldn’t take no more, the sky blackened.</p><p>And he woke up.</p><p>His breathing was hard, panting. The soft sunlight did little to comfort him, but he took comfort in the warm hand that ran down his back –</p><p>“-reathe, Baek, <em>breathe</em>.” He followed Chanyeol’s instructions like a young boy nodding along to his teacher and danced onto his tunes like a snake would, “Hush, here, drink.”</p><p>Baekhyun drank the water, feeling relief in the way the cold liquid gushed down his dry, parched throat. He had been drowning, but he was thirsty. He drank another glass.</p><p>When he wasn’t on the verge of dying, he crossed his arms over his knees and…stared. He stared right at the opposite wall of his room. Jongin and Yuta weren’t in there, and he didn’t care enough to ask why. He was lost in thoughts but had no thoughts at all at the same instant – as empty as space.</p><p>“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol tested. He didn’t bombard him with any questions, for which Baekhyun was grateful for, because knowing the giant’s nature, he probably had millions of them.</p><p>Seconds ticked by when Baekhyun finally said, “I’m going mad.”</p><p>A hand was placed upon his, “No, you’re not.”</p><p>His heartbeat was fast, and warmth tingled from Chanyeol’s skin. He was always so warm – truly, the Legend of Fire. Baekhyun didn’t like that name, because he thought Chanyeol was a conqueror. Once the taller set his mind to something, only Aurora could stop him.</p><p>He narrowed his eyes. Scratch that, not even <em>Aurora </em>could stop him, and that was something respectable about his dear friend.</p><p>Baekhyun, on the other hand, was tired, well aware of the fact that before losing his life, he would lose his sanity. Really, the veil and Misery were pushing it. No, the entirety of the world – Earth as well as Crosswords were pushing it. On Earth, he was expected to bury his dreams into a bag of wheat, and here, he had to bury them into the future crown of the Peacemaker.</p><p>He wanted neither. He would like to travel the world or be a dragon-rider…and collect strawberries that he would bring to Chanyeol’s lab. Yes, the taller was into science.</p><p><em>Science does not contradict magic, </em>he had once said, <em>science is our existence, and if magic is the medium of our existence, then so be it.</em></p><p>Baekhyun had asked him about things that science couldn’t explain and Chanyeol had said, <em>why I believe if the boundaries of science were pushed, then science can explain everything.</em></p><p>Baekhyun liked the way Chanyeol spoke the word ‘everything.’ It was hope-inducing, and dreamy, but these dreams weren’t just hanging in the air. Chanyeol had managed to build a staircase long enough to reach it with his hard work.</p><p>“What are you thinking?” Chanyeol asked, and it was at this exact moment midst mental breakdowns, dark magic, dragon-riders, veils of Misery, homicidal intentions that arose from being possessed by an unknown voice and a complex history that dated back to some thousand years that he realized he spent too much time thinking about his best friend. Chanyeol with his warmth, and his soft voice, and the honey flecks in those brown eyes and the soft arch that appeared when he concentrated hard, and those muscular arms that had encased him on too many occasions.</p><p>Surely, it was normal to think about a friend in such intensive detail…right?</p><p>“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol’s eyebrows were mushed together, a dash of worry and curiousness in his eyes, and that made him realize he still hadn’t answered.</p><p>Well, he wasn’t ready to answer, so he just shrugged and gave a tight-lipped smile –</p><p>“Nothing.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 10 August</strong>
</p><p>Professor Grendel wasn’t impressed, “Why is your original wand not in your hands, Mr Byun?”</p><p>He winced slightly, “Um – I don’t feel comfortable with it, Ma’am.”</p><p>She frowned, and Baekhyun mentally berated himself. <em>Wrong answer.</em></p><p>“You…have quite changed Mr Byun,” She remarked, “You used to be a debonair gentleman. These days, well, I do get worried for you. Maybe, that’s why your original wand doesn’t sit well in your hands.”</p><p>He nodded, “That must be it.”</p><p>She turned her nose up but didn’t say anything else about the issue, instead, she clapped her hands, “Moving on, today we’ll be practising about five special chants. Get the spirit up!”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Thursday, 13 August</strong>
</p><p>“Under the weary witch, further the crystal drops,” Chanyeol read it out for them. They were sitting on his desk, the lamplight on. Thankfully, Jongin and Yuta had an astrology class. The sky was dark, and soft rain pattered outside the windows, but the cold didn’t reach them. There, two boys, huddled in each other’s warmth on a desk, ready to solve mysteries buried for years upon years, “I checked all the myths and maps, and the only ‘weary witch’ I can think of is the weary woods.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, “Isn’t that what the seniors told us the first time? They look like the nails of the witch, and well, they <em>are </em>weary.”</p><p>Chanyeol tapped his pen against his nose, and scribbled this down, “And the crystal drops?”</p><p>This was where they ran into difficulty. <em>Crystal drops. </em>He was very poetic if he must say so himself, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. The taller guy was already deep in thought, checking maps and working fast.</p><p>“Nerd,” Baekhyun whispered, but the sound was buried by the pattering of raindrops against the window.</p><p>
  <em>Wait.</em>
</p><p>He looked to his left, the big liquid drops were dark. Suddenly, he opened his palm, and the familiar tingle travelled up his wrist, vibrating up his metallic wristband as light spilt down in its glory from his palm up to the spare raindrops that had found their way into the room. They lit up, and their colour reminded him of <em>another </em>place –</p><p>“Chanyeol!” He exclaimed, “The Sparkling Stream. Whatever it is, it is further up the Sparkling Stream.”</p><p>The taller was quick to understand, his eyes darting from the glowing raindrop to the map, when a huge smile took upon his face, “Brilliant.” With an awed expression, he marked it, “Further up the Sparkling Stream.”</p><p>It was then that they realized.</p><p>Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, confusion evident in his eyes, “Wait, that’s forbidden ground. How do we get there?”</p><p>For a few seconds, it was dull when Chanyeol said, “Magic happens on the threshold of the forbidden. Did you forget it?”</p><p>He was grinning, and Baekhyun’s eye smile matched his happiness, “Well, now I remember it.”</p><p>The heir read out the next line, “A torn piece of sky by the traitor’s top…” He looked up, “Makes no sense.”</p><p>“<em>Traitor,” </em>Chanyeol pronounced the word, “My book had the word ‘traitor’ on it.”</p><p>“So…uh, your top?”</p><p>“I have no idea.” Chanyeol deadpanned and looked back to the paper, “The rage and anger that never saw the light. It’s probably the buried history.”</p><p>“If we go by what Gret told me, then yes,” Baekhyun agreed, “Written in pages, locked for ages, in the night. So, yeah, we get books here – and it was locked for ages. It <em>has </em>to be the Hidden Library.”</p><p>Chanyeol nodded, “And the night?”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “Maybe, they locked it in the night. Or it could stand for secrecy…maybe, even misery.”</p><p>“Sadly, everyone thinks of the dark when they think night,” Chanyeol stated, “And not stars and moons, but yes, I agree.”</p><p>“Shall be opened by the one who was hurt,” Chanyeol spoke, “The one who was drowned and unheard. Who is that?”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>The lamplight illuminated the edges and dips of the coarse yellow paper, and then Baekhyun decided to reveal the truth, or what he <em>presumed </em>to be the truth –</p><p>“I think it’s me.” He stated, “I’ve had tons of dreams of being drowned under the ocean when I have only <em>seen </em>the ocean once.”</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t say anything at first, but then, he took in a shaky breath. Baekhyun perked up as the taller got up from his seat, moving towards the window, watching the dark landscape. The air stilled as he waited when a shaky, hoarse voice said –</p><p>“This…is scary.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>And when Chanyeol turned back to look at him, Baekhyun could see the utter fear haunting his beautiful eyes –</p><p>“Because I have dreams of <em>drowning </em>someone in the ocean.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>2</h1><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Suave mare magno - It is pleasant to watch the wild sea</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dreams.</em>
</p><p>In the Science classes of Mr Pat – who always stumbled on and over his words – they had learnt about REM sleep, and NREM sleep. The Freudian Theory had argued that sleep was based on deepest desires, anxieties, traumas and manifested in the form of erotic visions, while some other theories had disagreed and attributed the cause as something vaguer, something <em>else. </em>Then, there were lucid dreams – in which one had control of their actions, in which one was aware of the state of dreaming.</p><p>For the first time, Baekhyun found himself intensively thinking about dreams, and now, he just needed to discuss everything with, and that person manifested in the form of Vaz, his Night Chants teacher. In the past, the heir had accepted what they were told – night chants derive energy from the night moons, rather than the day Sun.</p><p>But that was not the complete truth.</p><p>Night Chants were simply Dark Spells – simpler ones, the ones that didn’t kill, disguised. He had wondered before why <em>Nectere si Flequi, </em>a chant that produced a gash of air with which you could cut fruits, trees, disarm people…and even <em>kill, </em>worked in the day as well. Now, he knew.</p><p>Stepping back into the attachment of the castle, near the place he had fainted was frightening but Chanyeol was next to him – which honestly shouldn’t have been reassuring because if the taller lost his spectacles, he could easily kill Baekhyun – but it was a comfort nevertheless. Their steps were loud in the quiet hallways, and the heir found himself eyeing the wall where the words had appeared.</p><p>
  <em>The cycle will repeat Aurora…until you make it right.</em>
</p><p>For some reason, the way he read it out – it wasn’t in his voice. It was a deeper, raspier sound, as if someone had been speaking through the smoke. The voice was pleading, and yet, there was hurt embedded in it, disguised as anger. If Baekhyun’s voice was a little less cheery and he drank every day, then he would have sounded like that.</p><p>“Here we are.”</p><p>The Night Chants Class was…well, night-y. It was held in a long, rectangular room, with a ceiling opening and covered windows. There was a high podium upon which a tall chair was placed, and the desks were normally arranged. Nobody found the class ‘interesting.’ Neither did Vaz – people didn’t even call him Professor. He was just a tired, estranged human, quite young, and he would’ve been handsome if he wasn’t so…well, tired.</p><p>They entered the classroom, taking their seats and notes on as Vaz just asked them to copy the notes on the board. Baekhyun snuck a glance at Chanyeol who was obediently writing down everything. <em>Nerd. </em>He’d just borrow the notes from the elf-eared boy. He focused his attention on Vaz, taking in the way he looked at the ceiling. His dark, messy hair was all over his face – falling up to his chin. His black eyes glimmered in the dark, as he stared up at the ceiling, and the moonlight illuminated the scar on the corner of his lips.</p><p>
  <em>He must know something.</em>
</p><p>After the class was over and the students filed out, Chanyeol and Baekhyun stayed back, sharing hesitant looks before Baekhyun took timid steps towards the tired human of a teacher that they had.</p><p>“Professor?” He tested, “Could we talk to you about some things that have been troubling us?”</p><p>Vaz’s expression did not change in the slightest, but he blew a fringe away and shrugged. Baekhyun wasn’t sure if it was a ‘yes’ but well, according to Chanyeol, the period of the veil wasn’t as long as they had expected – time was running out of their hands.</p><p>Baekhyun slid down on the desk in front, his hands planted on the surface, and Chanyeol followed suit. Licking his lips, he spoke, “Sir, in the past few days, both of us have been exposed to things – the veil, the Aurorian history, behaving strangely, hearing voices, dreams…and dark magic,” Vaz’s eyes were on them and for the first time, flickering in them, Baekhyun could see <em>interest</em>. If he could manoeuvre this interest in the right directions, then they’d leave here with more knowledge than they’d entered with, “But, we have been bothered most by <em>dreams. </em>We have strange dreams, of things we haven’t experienced, of foreign people, historical people. Is there any way to trace the root of these dreams?”  Baekhyun shot Chanyeol a slight questioning glance, and the taller nodded – <em>you did well.</em></p><p>Vaz didn’t say anything at first, staring upwards at the constellations in the sky, before his voice sounded, “I see. The veil is crossing, and you are the victims.”</p><p>Baekhyun froze. ‘Misery’ had told him the same exact thing.</p><p>“How do you—?”</p><p>“By this point, I’m certain you know that I am actually a practitioner of Dark Magic – the banned kind, the one you could lose all your goodwill points for, but well, I have a license,” he flicked a drawer open, drawing out a stamped sheet, before putting it back in, “Dark Magic is strong, old, ancient. The chants are such that people would question if it is ethical or morally correct, but the practitioners never cared about morality. All they cared for was the curiosity.”</p><p>Baekhyun hitched in a breath. Somehow, that statement was a direct stab to Chanyeol and him. They had left their ethics long back. But, until now, they hadn’t <em>realized </em>that things they were doing could be unethical.</p><p>Vaz looked at both of them, and the corner of his lips tugged up, “I see. Both of you would choose curiosity over ethics.” They didn’t know where to look, “And I don’t blame you.”</p><p>Both of them looked up, confusion clear in their eyes, when Vaz said, in a deeper voice, “Say, do you know my real name?”</p><p>Baekhyun frowned, “Vaz isn’t your real name?”</p><p>“No, my child, it’s an acronym.”</p><p>They didn’t know. They had <em>never </em>thought someone as boring as Vaz could be so…mysterious. Right now, the way his eyes were glimmering was almost cynical. Baekhyun somehow knew this man had lived his entire life in search of the ‘beyond,’ and now, he was chained to this job.</p><p>“Vivian Abley Zade.”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>Chanyeol’s voice shook, and his eyes were wide when he spoke, “You – you were the one who got kicked out! The one they said didn’t belong to Crosswords.”</p><p>Vaz – no, Vivian – smirked, and the scar on his lips glimmered, like white ash being burnt again, “The one and only.”</p><p>They didn’t know what to say. They were talking to one of the most mysterious criminals in the history of Crosswords. <em>Criminals – </em>people who were kicked out were called that.</p><p>“What…what was your crime again?” Chanyeol pulled at his hair, “I was two years old when it happened.”</p><p>“And I was eighteen,” Vivian smirked, “And you won’t know my crime, child, because they <em>never told anyone.</em>”</p><p>Baekhyun opened his mouth, before closing it right back.</p><p>“You see, dear heir, in the Aurorian Kingdom, they have one rule – if something threatens peace,” he stood up to his full height, his shadow daunting on them, <em>“Erase it.</em>”</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Sunday, 16 August</strong>
</p><p>They spent hours talking to Vivian, learning about things, and by the time they were leaving, the sun was peeking through the clouds. Their steps echoed in the empty hallways, and they didn’t try to hide them, because Vivian had given them a slip.</p><p>Chanyeol sighed, ruffling his hair, “That was…so intense.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, looking up at the iridescent lights that struck the window. They were almost near the Aphrodite Tower, when Chanyeol shuffled his hands –</p><p>“I have to leave.” His voice betrayed that he didn’t want to, “I have a session with Kinnaras.”</p><p>Baekhyun pulled on his arm, “Just skip it.”</p><p>“Can’t.”</p><p>The heir rolled his eyes. <em>Determination – </em>so boring, “Then why did you walk all the way here? You could’ve just left from Night Chants.” Chanyeol was so smart, but so stupid at the same time. He had no sense of practicality at all.</p><p>But then, it happened.</p><p>The first rays of the sun struck the huge windowpanes, casting a golden glow all over Chanyeol. He was an angel at that instance, and then, his lips drew out into a wide smile, and his eyes crinkled and sparkled as he leaned down – the distance between them felt empty, felt unsatisfying – and raised his huge hand to <em>gently </em>boop Baekhyun’s nose. Chanyeol chuckled, and his breath washed over Baekhyun’s face, and he said –</p><p>“Well, Princess, can’t risk you walking all alone till here, now, can I?” His voice sounded deep, and the ‘Princess’ sent new, but pleasant tingles down Baekhyun’s toes. It appeared as if the job of the sun had been passed to Park Chanyeol today.</p><p>Baekhyun could only stare at him, as he tilted his face back, like he was <em>amused </em>by Baekhyun, like Baekhyun was precious and endearing, like… no, he would not say that.</p><p>“Nerd.” He spat instead, because it came easily, flew off his tongue like a practised script, fit into the universe like a familiar star – and Chanyeol grinned at him, before walking away.</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t turn back to look, because he was afraid – no, he wasn’t afraid that he would try to <em>kill </em>Chanyeol, but he was afraid that he would try to <em>kill </em>his best-friend…and that wasn’t happening. He looked to the side, where the <em>huge </em>door of Aphrodite House stood in all its glory.</p><p><em>Must’ve been the aphrodisiacs. </em>Because it couldn’t have been Chanyeol – no, that nerd couldn’t have been the reason for him hammering heart, his tingling toes – and this extremely stupid and useless smile on his face that just <em>wouldn’t </em>go away.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 17 August</strong>
</p><p>Baekhyun walked alone towards Professor’s Grendel’s office with lazy and slow steps. His mind was somewhere else, lost in the spiral of things that had happened over the past month. On twenty-ninth June, he had entered the school with smiles and by the seventeenth of August, the smile had turned into a constant crease imprinted on his forehead. He had learnt and wielded dangerous spells that Professor Grendel had handed them without a thought. She trusted them, but they didn’t trust themselves. He had tried killing his best friend, whose absence at that instance rang clear in Baekhyun’s mind. He hadn’t seen Chanyeol since dawn, but Yuta had assured him that the nerd had been present in Professor Humpty’s Concoction class. He couldn’t help but worry about the taller who hadn’t received a wink of sleep, while Baekhyun had skipped breakfast and enjoyed a peaceful, dreamless sleep. He wished he could be asleep for the entirety of the day, because in his wakefulness, all he could think about was Vaz’s words –</p><p><em>The Zade family…is not Aurorian at roots, and that I knew, </em>he had said, <em>thus, like every lost soul, I wished to go back home.</em></p><p>They had been curious. What had he done then? And he had said –</p><p>
  <em>In the East lies the little mountains that give way to the ocean, in the west lie the woods which give way to huge mountains – where dragons and giants live, in the south lies the city which stretched until the ocean…and in the North lie fields.</em>
</p><p>That was the extent. There shouldn’t be something more than that, but once again the truth had been concealed.</p><p>
  <em>So, I – I walked. I walked the fields until they gave way to something else. I kept walking and I didn’t stop, until I saw what lay beyond.</em>
</p><p>What? They had asked.</p><p>And if only Baekhyun could forget about the glimmer in Vaz’s eyes, the wonder they held, the emotion they exuded, as if <em>nothing </em>could compare to that, as if after finding that thing, there was no other purpose of his life.</p><p>
  <em>The Mist.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun remembered the way Chanyeol looked at him, and he still gulped because his eyes looked just as the Professor’s did – glimmering, as if nothing was more worthy than this knowledge. But, Baekhyun, he had been afraid – still was. Professor Grendel had said that people locked things because they had done something that they’d rather not let others know. Things were hidden for a reason.</p><p>But he had been in the minority, for Chanyeol and Vaz had both been dancing upon the high of indulging in things that weren’t supposed to be known, and oh, they were completely drunk in their curiosity.</p><p>Vaz had continued – <em>Further up this Mist, connected by a small piece of land, I saw </em>it.</p><p>What was ‘it’?</p><p>And Vivian Abley Zade had smiled wistfully when he said – <em>My home. The lands of Misery, where </em>his <em>spirit is chained, where </em>his <em>language was spoken. The land that went by the name of Veysigz.</em></p><p>Baekhyun and Chanyeol were smart. They had connected the dots – Veyshigi, the language of Misery had originated from a place called Veysigz, and they also knew who <em>he </em>was, but they still asked.</p><p>Vivan had notched an eyebrow and said: <em>I’ve never been loyal to Aurora, for she is not my deity. </em>He cast them an apologetic look, before speaking. <em>I pray to him, though I know very little, I call him my deity.</em></p><p>
  <em>Viscaris.</em>
</p><p>“Baekhyun!” Someone’s voice reached his ears, “Why are you standing there?”</p><p>Suddenly, the world came back on its pedestal. Baekhyun blinked. He had been caught so deep in the reverie of his thoughts that he had just stood there, underneath a red tree as its bloody leaves washed over him. He turned his head, and he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face –</p><p>“Chanyeol!”</p><p>The taller grinned boyishly, before covering the rest of the way, and it seemed oddly romantic – standing under a tree and smiling at each other. They appeared like mere actors in the cringey film.</p><p>“Baek,” Chanyeol’s eyes were sparkling, but there was an inch of hesitation in them. Baekhyun looked at him curiously, and the taller breathed in shakily before he said, “We found the duration of the veil.”</p><p>Pause.</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t know why he was disappointed. The happy aura surrounding them, the image where they were just dumb actors shattered into pieces and Baekhyun was once again reminded of the predicament they were in. Why did he feel like his breath could never reach further than this Aurorian drama?</p><p>He licked his lips, “Tell me.”</p><p>Chanyeol stood up to his full height, and fixed his glasses, “We calculated the positions of the sun, and the moon in the past, and calculated just how huge the ‘empty space’ would be, and how much would be enough to harbour Misery.”</p><p>Baekhyun waited patiently. He was proud of Chanyeol, but sometimes, he wished they were both some dumb students laughing under the sun, swinging their hands and talking about rice cakes.</p><p>“The veil extends from the Summer Solstice to the Winter Solstice,” Chanyeol gulped, “The Winter Solstice falls on twenty-first December. We have got exactly one-twenty-six days to do whatever we have to, before destruction starts.”</p><p>Suddenly, the red leaves falling upon them weren’t romantic. They were melancholic and sad. Is that how the ash of the remains of Crosswords would fall upon the ground? Baekhyun found himself facing the direction of the sun. Further away, the mighty seas lay, and a part of him wondered if he would be sinking under the surface in one-twenty six days.</p><p>Chanyeol put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back to the earth. His eyes were determined, and his voice was strong when he said –</p><p>“Don’t worry. We <em>will </em>break the curse.”</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amamtes sunt amemtes - Lovers are lunatics</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Germania Grendel’s office was colder today, and not even the warmth of Chanyeol’s hand clasped in his could make Baekhyun feel otherwise. The curtains were drawn down, the windows were shut, and the furniture was pushed back, which meant they were going to practice an active chant.</p><p>“Come in.” The sudden voice made him jump. He turned his head towards the pushed back furniture and saw Professor Grendel dressed up in a dark overall, her back to them. They heeded her word, and entered the room, standing awkwardly in the centre. Then, she turned. Her face was grim, and the way she clenched her stick let Baekhyun knew that today they would once again hover on the boundary of illegality and morality.</p><p>She strode towards them, “In the past month, I’ve shown you the way to different sorts of chants, and you have glided through all of them successfully.” The corner of her lips tugged up, and something twinkled in her eyes, “Thus, I have seen fit to tackle higher chants and harder chanting.”</p><p>There it was.</p><p>She pointed to the end of the wall, where written on the whiteboard were letters that Baekhyun couldn’t pronounce with ease, but what he could read was that the spell was marked as a dark spell.</p><p>He looked up at her, “Professor…will this be okay?”</p><p>“I understand that you’re worried about the wards, but I’d suggest otherwise. I have a license for casting dark spells, and I also have a teaching license.” That didn’t convince Baekhyun, but then Chanyeol spoke in disbelief –</p><p>“You enchanted the wards, right Professor?” His sparkling eyes were darting around the room, “We’re practically off the map of the Aurorian Kingdom!”</p><p>Baekhyun snapped his face towards his, “You’re…amazing, Professor.”</p><p>“Well, I’d take that compliment, Mr. Byun,” She walked back to the board, before turning back, “Now, shall we start?”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Érzelem alegia elveszett loscke</em>,” Baekhyun tried the foreign words on his tongue for the hundredth time that way, feeling familiarity ease into them slowly, “Did I get it right?”</p><p>Chanyeol turned his head to nod at him, “Your pronunciation is perfect, Baek.”</p><p>Even if it wasn’t, it will improve. They kept practising the words until they spoke them fluently, and sat down on the carpeted floor, waiting for Germania to elaborate on the chant.</p><p>“As you can see, this is a dark chant, which means we must deal with it carefully, and understand its usage thoroughly so that we don’t end up misusing it.” She had already told them many times – don’t ever cast a dark spell if you couldn’t picture its effect. “This chant is a bit confusing, but its basic usage is that it locks something into an object.”</p><p>That…really was vague.</p><p>“It could be anything,” she elaborated, “Objects, feelings, emotions…and even life – depends on how strong of a chanter a person is.”</p><p>Chanyeol raised his hand, “Professor, you mean to say that this spell could kill a person?”</p><p>Baekhyun bit his lips, as she fumbled through her words, “Well, Mr. Park, If we follow the theory that life is an energy and that humans have souls, then it’s easier to understand. It can lock your soul, so even if you are killed…you won’t die because your soul is still locked into an object. Thus, I can’t call it a ‘killing’ spell. Now, if someone was to destroy the object carrying the soul, then it could lead to <em>death.</em>”</p><p>A chill crept up Baekhyun’s back, and somehow, he found himself fingering the Control vial, hidden under his overalls. If he experienced any sort of headache, he would tip it down his throat.</p><p>“Moving on, for today, I’d like you to lock any memory into some object. If you lock something, there’s a chance that you’d soon forget it. Thus, you can remove your embarrassing moments.” She gave them a hidden smile, “But then, be careful. Since you are learners, the memories might spill out in this room and I would be able to see them.” She eyed them one by one, her smile barely concealed.</p><p>Why did Baekhyun feel like she knew something he didn’t?</p><p>“Thus, think for a while about a memory, and you could lock them into any object. My drawer is always open if you need a strange artefact.” She laughed at that, “And then, we’ll proceed with the chanting itself.”</p><p>She went and sat back on her desk, taking some papers out, “I’ll do some work if you don’t mind.”</p><p>They nodded and walked over to the pushed back sofa, facing the wall, and placed themselves upon it without a second thought.</p><p>“Professor Grendel is so <em>cool</em>,” Baekhyun expressed, “She’s just…badass.”</p><p>Chanyeol had a faraway look in his eyes, but he let a small smile slip, “Indeed.”</p><p>Baekhyun pouted at the lack of reaction, and shoved his shoulder, “What are you thinking?”</p><p>“Memories.” Chanyeol tilted his head to look at him, “I got one.”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged before leaning back into the sofa, breathing happily in the nice fumes of it. Chanyeol stood up at that exact moment –</p><p>“I’ll get an object, okay?”</p><p>He turned his head to the other side. He could hear Chanyeol chuckling but honestly, the boy could shove his leg into a thorn-bed, and he wouldn’t care. Yes, he was petty, and immature about the smallest things. So what?</p><p>The sounds of Chanyeol shuffling through drawers, and flapping of papers as Professor did her work annoyed him for some strange cause, so he decided to flip through his mind for a memory. Not even a second had passed, when a memory rose above – <em>him casting the dark spell. </em>But, if the spell-work didn’t work, the Professor could see it, and he couldn’t let that happen. So, he settled with another memory. Now, he just needed an object.</p><p>He already had one. The metallic bracelet caught light upon his wrist. A smile found its way on his face, and when Chanyeol returned, the smile hadn’t disappeared.</p><p>“What’s got you so happy?” He asked, pinching Baekhyun’s cheek, before the heir slapped his hand away, and snuck his tongue out at him –</p><p>“Obviously, not you.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, “I beg to differ.”</p><p>Baekhyun got up, and shot him a last look, “Keep begging,” before making his way towards the Professor's table. He felt bad about disturbing her when she had just started working, but honestly, the quicker they were done with this, the better.</p><p>“Professor.” The lady turned her head towards him, and he pointed to the centre of the room, “We are ready.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> “-use your entire arm for the double slashes, but only the wrist for the circles,” Professor’s Grendel rang in his ears as he tried to manage the huge sphere of magic he was using for this chant. It was difficult to deliver the wand motions with ease, since Aqua was delicate, not meant for extreme movements.</p><p>But he couldn’t touch Luna, yet.</p><p>The memory was in his mind, a highly detailed slideshow that he could flick through whenever required. Sweat drops beaded down the arch of his eyebrow in the struggle of deviating his energy and the memory towards his bracelet kept further away. It was like throwing something through a pool of thick, dripping honey. His arms were burning with the force of all this magic, and Aqua had heated up in his hand. If it warmed up anymore, then he could end up with burns.</p><p>Yet, at one point, the imaginary pool of magic was facing the bracelet, and he shouted, “<em>Érzelem alegia elveszett loscke!</em>” He followed it with the quick wand movements and a grey light started sparkling at the tip of his wand, growing in size. But, his aching arms gave away and the grey light crashed on the floor and spread out like a sheet, and pictures started playing out – young Baekhyun sitting in his wheat field, his eyes darting around before taking out Luna and casting a quick chant that they had learnt in the second year, and on the ground below the soil moved around until <em>Park Chanyeol </em>was written on the ground – before sparking and disappearing.</p><p>Baekhyun sighed, “It spilt.”</p><p>Professor was smiling, “That was a really sweet memory, though.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, “You were so cute in our second year.”</p><p>Baekhyun crossed his arms, “I’m eternally cute.”</p><p>“Sure, you are.”</p><p>The heir just shook his head, smiling playfully, before picking his wand up again. This time, he was going to concentrate more and draw out the power slowly, and that was what he did. Slowly, drop by drop, taking the power out, pausing for a bit when it strained him. Professor nodded in approval at him –</p><p>“Walk like a turtle, win like a horse.” She said, before turning her attention to Chanyeol.</p><p>Just when Baekhyun felt he was ready, grey light struck the edge of the desk and another screen opened out. He vaguely registered Chanyeol cursing before images began to play. His nerdy friend aged fourteen in the image – Baekhyun knew because he wore an ugly necklace when he was fourteen - was at his home, sitting on his desk, reading some thick book. Then, he came across something in the book and smiled, scribbling a <em>teach this to baek </em>before turning the next page, and doing the same.</p><p>Then, the vision closed.</p><p>Baekhyun was smiling triumphantly, and he turned towards Chanyeol, ready to bloat but the other boy already had his hands up in surrender, “Don’t say a word.”</p><p>The heir shrugged, still feeling elated, before picking up his wand. And maybe it was the fact that Chanyeol, just like him, had chosen a memory related to their relationship, or maybe the thought of Chanyeol missing him too during vacations, or just…the thought of them that made him feel so high and powerful, but suddenly, it was easier to draw out the energy. It leaked out, drop by drop, until there was a stream of invisible power flowing around. Professor Grendel and Chanyeol held their breaths, watching him, because both of them could feel the sparks – he hadn’t drawn out a <em>small </em>amount of magic.</p><p>And the feel of magic was rough, electrifying and addicting.</p><p>He played the memory in his head, and when he could feel the wheat bristles poking his waist, the soil warm underneath, the sun blinding his eyes, and the wind lapping at his hair, he lifted his wand. Slowly. The heavy magic moved up, shifting in weight, shimmering at places, and then he focused all the magic onto his wand and imagined a path from his wand to his bracelet. He imagined the memory travelling that path and getting locked into the bracelet.</p><p>And then, he chanted.</p><p><em>“Érzelem alegia elveszett loscke!</em>” Two quick circular flicks, slashes in the opposite sides and then a stab towards the bracelet. The words echoed lightly, tapped with magic and all the magic in the room was sucked up by Aqua before a grey sparking ball of energy struck the bracelet. He had thought the delicate metal would shatter, but it only changed colour, becoming a hot red before cooling down to its metallic shade.</p><p>The room was silent, devoid of the great magic he had summoned – just for a second – before it was filled again with that great magical aura. Chanyeol’s deep voice pronounced the words and a grey ball struck the ring he had chosen.</p><p>Then, the room was empty again.</p><p>Professor Grendel’s claps filled the silence, “Congratulations! You’ve succeeded in casting the spell.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 21 August </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>00:43</strong>
</p><p>“They’ll catch us.” Baekhyun ducked underneath a tree, panting hard from all the running. The soles of his shoes were damaged by rocks and gravel, and his shirt was drenched in sweat and the slight drizzle. The sky above was completely dark, and the forest was pitch-black. Aqua’s light did little to guide him. He squinted in the dark, “Chanyeol?”</p><p>There was no response.</p><p>He bit his lips, as fear overtook him. Barks filled the area – the <em>guards. </em>They were half-dog and half-human, huge breeds that could shred him into pieces.</p><p>“Chanyeol!” He whisper-yelled. But the darkness remained pungent around him, and there was no sign or sound of the taller boy. Suddenly, he heard a loud bark –</p><p>“<em>I can smell him! There is someone!”</em></p><p>They were taking quick leaps and bounds towards him, the ground hammered underneath their steps. Baekhyun was frozen in fear, but he willed himself to move. He ducked out, and ran aimlessly, jumping over fallen trunks and pushing himself away from the standing ones. He had no idea where he was going, but he kept running, deeper into the night.</p><p>Then, he heard the sound – water flowing down. He was close to the Sparkling Stream.</p><p>
  <em>Under the weary witch, further the crystal drops.</em>
</p><p>That had been their plan. Chanyeol had confidently walked into their room after a discussion with Professor Grendel and splayed himself down on Baekhyun’s bed, “I found out how we could disappear off the map.”</p><p>Baekhyun had turned back to him, struggling with chants, and maps, “Really? How?”</p><p>He had shrugged, “I told her to teach us just in case we wanted to practice those spells. Look I’d cast it.” And they were off the map Baekhyun was staring at. Suddenly, the plan had fit right in. They knew how to reach the Hidden Library.</p><p>But they’d forgotten one <em>tiny </em>detail.</p><p>The dog-guards weren’t affected by them vanishing out of the map. The wards and magical barriers could be fooled, but how could they fool the snouts of these guards? And the pack had taken after them, and they had been running for well over an hour. Somewhere in between, Baekhyun had lost Chanyeol.</p><p>Now, he was near the Sparkling Stream. Surely, the wards would fend the guards off. Right? He took a sudden discourse, moving right with all his power. He couldn’t cross the boundary without Chanyeol. In the chase, he switched Aqua’s light off, and willed his own light to take form. <em>Appear. </em>Light trickled out his hands and formed a ball which flew high into the sky.</p><p>The dog-guards were blind, for vision restricted their sense of smell.</p><p>Park Chanyeol wasn’t blind. He had to see the light.</p><p>Baekhyun kept off sending light balls to every corner of the forest, even if that outrightly drained him. The light balls skidded across the stony grounds, the fresh soil, the wrinkly leaves, the hard trunks, bouncing and reflecting off surfaces. He ducked underneath a tree again, to catch his breath.</p><p>Then, he heard the bark.</p><p>“<em>I found him!”</em></p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t think twice but the words were already out of his mouth, “<em>Nectere si Flequi!” </em>A great air force formed around him and pushed everything back. The dog-guard let out a cry as he was pushed back, slamming against the bark. Before Baekhyun could blink, something struck his back and he turned back, eyes wide to see the tree tilting back, the roots pulling out. The tree groaned and the spirit appeared for a while – frozen, eyes red and looking at him with hatred, panic…and fear before the tree gave out. It was going to fall.</p><p>“Run!” There was a strong pull on his arm, and he staggered backwards, watching as the tree fell on the ground, barricading him from the rest of the world. The strong hold on his arm was released, and he turned around to see Chanyeol holding one of his light orbs, which reflected his injured self. A trail of blood trickled down his chin, and there was a deep gash above his eyebrow.</p><p>Baekhyun figured he didn’t look much better.</p><p>“You’re hurt-” But Chanyeol wasn’t looking at him. His eyes were fixed onto a dog-guard. He turned around towards Baekhyun, and the look in his eyes struck something in Baekhyun, made him nauseated.</p><p>“Heal him,” Chanyeol ordered, and Baekhyun nodded, pulling out his wand and pointing it towards the dog-guard lying faint against the tree, “<em>The sins of yesterday will be repented by the sinner tomorrow.</em>”</p><p>Chanyeol clasped his hand, “Is that the only healing spell you could think of-?”</p><p>Baekhyun shook him off, watching the way the magic wound up his body, healing him completely. The dog-guard got up in a haze, walking back to the place he’d been deported at. He would remember nothing by tomorrow.</p><p>But Baekhyun would remember everything, until eternity. He had just chanted a dark spell – a self-curse.</p><p>He sighed when it was done, turning towards Chanyeol, but not looking at him in the eye, “Let’s go.”</p><p>None of them said another word as they walked towards the stream, their steps crunching the leaves underneath. They should’ve been running for the dog-guards were still out to get them, but they knew the chase was over. Soon, they reached the mouth of the Sparkling Stream – just a small gash into the ground, a small streak which was then joined by a tributary of the Avariet.</p><p>Then, Chanyeol broke the silence, “Once, we cross, we’d be in the forbidden zone.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, “I hope the chant holds.”</p><p>Chanyeol turned towards him, “Is that the only thing you’re worried about?”</p><p>The heir looked up at him, with distrustful eyes, “You were the one that kept saying ‘magic happens on the threshold of the forbidden,’ and now that we are here, you don’t want to do this.”</p><p>“I do,” Chanyeol took in a sharp breath, “I do. It’s just…I can’t find myself to trust you, right now.”</p><p>
  <em>Ouch.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes were struck by immediate tears, but he didn’t let them out. He just bowed his head and stated, “I’ll let you know that <em>you </em>were the reason I waited around and that’s why he caught me, otherwise I would’ve found the library long ago.”</p><p>Chanyeol looked up at him, and his face was scrunched up, “You make it sound as if you did me a favour.”</p><p>The barks sounded again, and Baekhyun bit the inside of his cheeks, “Whatever. We must hurry. Re-do the chants, just in case.”</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t move an inch, and it infuriated Baekhyun. He didn’t even <em>understand </em>why Chanyeol was making it a bigger deal than it was supposed to be. He gritted his teeth, “Park Chanyeol. <em>Hurry.</em>”</p><p>When he got no response from the taller, he took out the wand that was safely wrapped up in clothes and pushed into the pockets of his jeans. He found himself smirking at the way Chanyeol’s eyes widened, “Yes.” He said, feeling powerful at the familiar feel of the moonlit wand in his hands, “I brought Luna, and I will use her.”</p><p>He pointed to the space in between them – just the way Chanyeol had done hours ago – and flicked her before casting, “<em>Off the Map, naksha bahira</em>.” The words were simple enough, the spell work was not, but Luna was a powerful wand, and under the moonlight, the blackwood took its turn. Red light flooded out of the wand in uncontrollable volumes until it was silent.</p><p>Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol, wearing his troubled expression, the one that said <em>do I even know you? </em>It hurt Baekhyun but they didn’t have time. He gestured for the taller to follow him and crossed the mouth of the Sparkling Streams. Soon after, Chanyeol’s steps followed. That was a relief. They walked for a bit, searching aimlessly for anything that could symbolize the next verse – <em>a torn piece of sky by the traitor’s top, </em>but so far, the search was in vain. In the meanwhile, Baekhyun noticed how this area was different. The air was colder, thus he had pulled his cloak out from the bag he carried and wound it around himself. Everything seemed ancient. The trees were fuller, greener, but they weren’t welcoming like Ivy and her gang. No, these had malicious intent. At least, that’s the aura they gave out.</p><p>They hadn’t reached anywhere when the drizzling turned into a full rainstorm. Out of nowhere, the dark clouds broke, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun ran the area for a resting spot, but there was nothing. Baekhyun shifted his gaze from one spot to another, but it was all pointless in the dark. Through the rain, his light orbs would appear shaky too.</p><p>Just then, Chanyeol grabbed his hand, “I found a place.”</p><p>Baekhyun held onto him tightly, as he led him near two huge trees that had a cave-sort of wooden structure joining them. Chanyeol slipped in first, and Baekhyun followed suit. He was surprised to see that the area was dry – <em>enchanted. </em>The space wasn’t that big, but they huddled close to each other, shivering in the dark, before Chanyeol placed his hand in the ground in front of them and tendrils of fire arose from the tips of his fingers, spreading out on the ground in the form of a beautiful, warm and bright fire. Baekhyun breathed in the smoke. It warmed his insides. He took his cloak off and placed it near the fire, to dry it.</p><p>Then, they let the silence wash over them.</p><p>That led to retrospection. Baekhyun couldn’t get the image of the guard crashing to the trunk out of his mind, and the slight burn on his fingers when he had cast that spell brought the memory back whenever he almost forgot it. What had he been thinking? He shouldn’t have cast that chant, but somewhere in his head, he knew he deserved it.</p><p>But something burned more than his fingers, and that was Chanyeol’s words. <em>I can’t find myself to trust you right now. </em>They’ve known each other for five years. Five years of sticking by each other, five years of caring for each other, five years of built-up trust…and today, it had all shattered.</p><p>He turned towards Chanyeol when the silence got unbearable, “Chanyeol I-”</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>His heartbeat paused as Chanyeol turned towards him, biting his injured lips. His eyes were lost, but sincere, and he looked <em>so small, </em>and yet so <em>big </em>at that moment.</p><p>“I don’t understand why I didn’t even try to understand you,” he admitted, looking down at the fire, “Obviously, you waited for me, you tried to stall time, and then, you got cornered. When I found you, do you know how you looked?”</p><p>Baekhyun looked down too at the ground licking the fire up and shook his head.</p><p>“You looked petrified, horrified – and it seemed that you’d let the tree fall over you,” Chanyeol chuckled humorlessly, skipping a stone into his fire, “But I forgot that look just a second later, and it angered - hurt me when you cast <em>that </em>chant. It hurt you more though.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes were staring into his own, in a way so deep that it appeared he wouldn’t stop looking until he reached to their bottom.</p><p>“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol stuck his hand out, “Forgive me. I still trust you with my life.”</p><p>The heir didn’t think a second longer before grasping that hand – his favourite hand, the only person he could trust. He moved in closer, leaning his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder.</p><p>“Don’t be mean to me again.” He clenched the hand he was holding. Chanyeol’s chest rumbled as he laughed, before resting his head on top of Baekhyun’s.</p><p>“Never.”</p><p>Suddenly, the silence was comfortable again.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>After what appeared like hours but probably were some minutes, the heavy rain slowed down to a drizzle. Baekhyun shifted his position and grabbed his wand. His hand rested on Chanyeol’s cheek.</p><p>“Let me heal that for you.” He chanted a quick ‘Get better soon’ on every injury that Chanyeol harboured and the taller boy returned the favour. By the time they were done, the drizzling was light enough for them to walk out. Hand in hand, they stepped out to find a torn piece of sky.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>They had barely walked out when –</p><p>“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol’s voice was urgent as he pulled him to a stop, “Look at that.”</p><p>The heir turned his head to the object Chanyeol was pointing at, and he found himself gasping. Hidden by overgrown ivy leaves, just outside the ‘cave’ they were sitting in, was a huge shiny surface buried in the ground. The shiny surface showed the slightly-grey sky, the clearing clouds and their faces staring down.</p><p>“It’s a reflecting surface,” Chanyeol supplied. They sat down on their haunches, removing the rocks and weeds to find a window, nearly the size of a desk. They couldn’t see what lay across it due to the dark, but they could see a floor.</p><p>“A torn piece of sky…” Baekhyun wondered out loud, “Windows show the sky to us, but they <em>aren’t </em>the sky.”</p><p>Chanyeol nodded. His eyes were moving around the perimeter before it fell back on the cave they had come from, and from this angle, Baekhyun could see it. The cave was actually a hollow wooden statue – a big one, and even though the lines were worn out and moss stuck to the wood, they could make the face out.</p><p>
  <em>Aurora.</em>
</p><p>The statue had barely extended up to her chest. Below that, there was the warm soil.</p><p>“I think,” Chanyeol started, “It must be an old full-sized statue that probably got buried.”</p><p>But Baekhyun wasn’t thinking in that direction. There were many moments in which things had felt off, as if they were being misled, and this was one of them.</p><p>“<em>A torn piece of the sky – </em>we found it. We just have to get in.” He tapped his feet against the window, “<em>By the traitor’s top – </em>which is Aurora, even if it doesn’t make sense, and <em>you </em>got the book labelled Traitor.”</p><p>Chanyeol frowned when he realized what he meant, “I get what you’re saying but that’s not possible, Baekhyun. I’m not Aurora.”</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, “Of course, you’re not. But the cycle is repeating, Chanyeol. We’re all just playing roles…and you got the role of the traitor.” There were two images in his mind – in one, a man named Elijah was told that Aurora had betrayed them, and in the second, a story that said that Aurora had lived until a ripe age, a silent and observing of the world around her. She had liked staring at the ocean, that was why the Temple faced the direction of the ocean.</p><p>In his mind, Baekhyun was certain the person – the voice who had taken over <em>him </em>had died by being drowned. He had died early. Everything added up together except for one detail –</p><p>Baekhyun was the heir of Aurora.</p><p>He shrugged, “Let’s figure out how to get in, first.”</p><p>Chanyeol nodded, “You’re the one who had to open it – <em>the one who was drowned and unheard.</em>”</p><p>Baekhyun stepped on the window, and leaned down, observing it. He pushed some of his light onto it, but nothing happened. He tapped it, punched it and even shouted, “<em>I’m the one who was drowned.</em>” In the end, he scrunched his took Luna out – somehow, Aqua wasn’t the right choice – and tapped it lightly against the window, “<em>Infinite locks shall I unlock with my one key.”</em></p><p>“Did it work?” Chanyeol asked, “I really hope it wor – <em>Baekhyun!</em>”</p><p>His voice stretched painfully and got further as air roared in Baekhyun’s ear. He had a short period of realization – <em>I am falling, </em>before he smashed against the floor. He groaned. Something had probably broken in the fall. He shifted around, rolling from one side to another. His body popped but nothing hurt that bad, and it was then that he noticed that the floor was a little fluffy – like a comfortable mattress.</p><p>That had him standing up and surveying the area. It was dark, mostly, but through the light that entered from the window above, he could see shelves. A shiver crept up his back, and a smile made its way on his face. Shelves meant books – locked, forbidden books.</p><p>“-Baekhyun! Are you okay?” He looked up to see Chanyeol peeking in, eyes struck with horror. He just smiled at him – that wide smile that came with the knowledge of success. They had done it.</p><p>“Come down.” He shouted, cupping the area around his mouth, “We’ve found the Hidden Library.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The Hidden Library was huge, and brightly-lit – when they found the chandeliers and candles at least. It was easy to light them all up with a quick chant, and soon, they could see the room. The ground was made of Anancite wood, with squared patches of soft, fluffy mattresses with white pillows.</p><p>“We could sit and read there,” Chanyeol had pointed out.</p><p>There were huge windows on all sides, extending to the ceiling. These windows were enchanted and let in soft breezes and plenty of lights. The shelves were tall, but not suffocating, and harboured different sections. There were a few tables and chairs too. The thing that struck them the most was that besides the ‘window’ they had entered from, there was another gap in the room, from which extended the part of the statue below the midriff. Her two legs were firm upon the ground and built into reading seats. The place was really wicked.</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, “I don’t think I’ll ever want to leave this place.”</p><p>“Neither.”</p><p>They gauged that they had about an hour more before it was time to leave because they had started the journey right after midnight. It was tempting to curl up on one of the mattresses and sleep, but they had work to do. Chanyeol moved around the area, calling out the names of the sections. Most of them were just your average sections – but they probably shed light on buried history.</p><p>Then, Chanyeol paused for a second before he called out, “<em>Chants. </em>Baekhyun, all the chants here must be powerful, and here, we are off the map. We could learn them!”</p><p>Baekhyun spared him a smile, but his attention was driven to another corner. Chanyeol turned towards the section, “What is it?”</p><p>The heir picked the book up, and lifted it for Chanyeol to see, “<em>Beyond: Walking Past Aurora.” </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Et lux in tenebris lucet - And light shines in the darkness</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Jongin couldn’t fathom why his roommates were lying dead on their beds when it was lunchtime and the sun was high in the sky. His eyes flicked over to the books kept on their desks – about five thick unrecognizable books. He rolled his eyes. Who studies on a Friday night?</p><p>But he was a kind human being, so he let them be. When he saw Kyungsoo, the first thing he said was –</p><p>“Chanyeol and Baekhyun are such big nerds, I swear. Now, did you sleep alright?”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“You sure this will work?” Baekhyun asked, sniffing at his armpits and his feet.</p><p>Chanyeol tried not to laugh. Instead of looking like the almighty heir testing out a spell that hid any sort of smell, Baekhyun just looked like a lost puppy.</p><p>And of course, the <em>puppy </em>noticed this. His eyes flicked towards Chanyeol, narrowed in all their glory, “Why are you laughing, nerd?”</p><p>“I’m not-”</p><p>“You <em>are.</em>”</p><p>The whine did it. He started laughing. Baekhyun was <em>such </em>a puppy – a cute, whiny one at that.</p><p>“-Chanyeol!” Baekhyun was looking at him with his lips jutted out. His eyes mocked anger and confusion, but they hid a tone of mirth underneath, and that was all that Chanyeol needed to see. His eyes briefly swept across the window. The night was dark and cloudy again.</p><p>There was a hand on his arm. He turned and his breathing paused. Baekhyun’s eyes were sparkling brighter than emeralds, and his lips stretched into a pretty pink smile as he looked at Chanyeol</p><p>“We will succeed.” There was something in Baekhyun’s face – something sparkling, something that pulled him in – and even as the elder of them turned his head towards the window, facing the dark night, Chanyeol kept looking at that something, unable to tear his eyes away. Baekhyun held onto his arm harder, pointing towards the night and with wonder in his voice, he said, “Look at the stars Chanyeol!”</p><p>There were no stars that night for stars were variables, glimmering and twinkling only when they found fit. But there was one star that always shone bright, his own star – and he was looking at it.</p><p>➸</p><p>They made it.</p><p>Baekhyun sighed as he took his coat off, “I’m so happy the chant worked.”</p><p>Chanyeol wiped at the sweat on his face, before collapsing on one of the mattresses, “Copy that.” The library was just as they had left it. It was cut off from the world, just a small, cosy place that they could call their own. Tonight, the enchanted windows showed the view of a valley from a high hill. There were clouds scattered around the sky, but it didn’t block out the light. The plunge was deep – green rolling fields, and a few cottages scattered around.</p><p>“I wonder if these windows show a <em>real </em>place the way it is now,” Baekhyun settled beside Chanyeol, leaning his head onto the taller boy’s shoulder. He let out a hum – Chanyeol’s shoulder had grown muscular so it didn’t poke his cheek.</p><p>“You mean real-time?” Chanyeol’s hand found its way around his waist. When Baekhyun nodded, Chanyeol got up – ignoring Baekhyun’s whine – and placed his hands onto the windows, “There’s only one way to find out.”</p><p>He pushed the windows open and a burst of cold, stormy winds raced in. Papers flew around, pages of books flipped open. Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol with bewilderment –</p><p>“No way!”</p><p>He shot to his legs and raced towards Chanyeol, placing his hands on the ledge and leaning out. The wind washed his hair, tickled his face, raced up his limbs and made his cloaks flutter. The skies were pretty, the last specks of the sunlight were soft on his face. He wanted to run out to the cottages, wanted to fly over them.</p><p>Chanyeol observed him with a mirroring bewilderment. Thoughts raced around his head like a quick whirlwind, but a particular thought ruled it – <em>how could someone be so beautiful?</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Non est ad astra mollis e terris via - There is no easy way from the earth to the stars</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The dates on the calendar were crossed out quickly, until the hot, humid wind turned into dry, cold winds that made people shiver. Soon, sweaters and scarfs were piled on top of the normal attire, and the leaves of the trees breathed their last.</p><p>Aurora might be going to sleep, but for Baekhyun and Chanyeol, the sun rose high every day with new possibilities and new responsibilities. They had studied books, learnt chants and Vaz had taught them a few chants here and there. Thrice a week, they found themselves at the library, practising chants, duelling, and uncovering more about a world. They were powering up…because they knew that they’d soon be out on the battlefield.</p><p>“-Baekhyun, are you even paying attention?” Yixing sighed as his partner drifted to the world of thoughts again. That had to be the millionth time. “The tree will die before we heal it.” Suddenly, one of the pixie teachers turned away from the pack and flew towards them in an angry huff, colliding straight with Baekhyun’s temple.</p><p>“Ow!” Baekhyun rubbed his temple, glaring at the pixie, who pointed at her fibre-thin wrists and hobbled around in angry bursts of angry, and quick flaps of her wind. The message wasn’t hard to decipher –</p><p>
  <em>If you don’t get to work in the given time, I’d have you failed, idiotic human.</em>
</p><p>Pixies weren’t hard to understand. They were angry, and they <em>needed </em>things to be done quickly. Baekhyun shrugged and turned his attention towards the wounded tree spirit they had to heal that day in Healing Class.</p><p>Yixing gave him an apologetic look, “She noticed you because of me, I guess.”</p><p>Baekhyun just got to work, “It’s fine, really.”</p><p>Yixing bit his lip, and scooted closer to the heir, “Also…are you okay?” At Baekhyun’s surprised glance, he put his hands in front of himself, “No, I mean, you guys – Chanyeol and you - look tired these days. You’re never really listening and Jongin says sometimes you’re not in bed at night.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes danced around in panic. Shit, they’d been way too careless about Jongin and Yuta. They couldn’t let their friends find out… it just won’t be good.</p><p>“No, we’re absolutely fine.” He let out a shrill laugh and mentally winced right after, “Exams are approaching, you know? It’s a bit pressurizing for me, because, well, I’m supposed to be the ‘heir,’ and Chanyeol’s just competitive.”</p><p>Yixing’s face said everything – <em>he didn’t believe the words a bit.</em></p><p>But he didn’t say that yet, “And why haven’t you been in bed?”</p><p>“Oh – that’s – don’t tell anybody,” Baekhyun dropped his voice to a whisper, “But we’re going to the library at night.” He shrugged helplessly and his eyes sent the message: <em>just accept it.</em> Yixing took in a deep breath –</p><p>“Look, Baek. That’s all fine, but if there’s something, you can tell us. We won’t ever leave your side. We’re just worried for you guys.” Seeing that Baekhyun’s resolve was strong as always, “We <em>know </em>you’re doing some illegal things – don’t look surprised – but we figured it out. You’re doing something great again, but this time you’re breaking rules…which means that the stakes are higher.”</p><p>Baekhyun could only stare at Yixing with watering eyes. In the past month, Chanyeol and he had become closer than ever…but that didn’t mean his friends had distanced from him. They were still watching out for him, even if he felt completely alone.</p><p>“And higher stakes mean that you’re more worried about everything. Maybe…you’re not happy, and we won’t like that.” Yixing licked his lips, “Just give us a chance, you know?”  </p><p>Before Baekhyun could reply, an uninterested dwarf called out his name, “Elan has called for you.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Wednesday, 18 September</strong>
</p><p>Even before Elan said a word, Baekhyun knew something was wrong. Elan sat on his highchair; a darkness hung around his figure.</p><p>“Baekhyun,” his voice regarded, and the heir could <em>feel </em>the heaviness dripping from his father’s voice, “I’ve some news to tell you.”</p><p>Baekhyun slid into his chair, hands on the edge of the table, “Speak then.”</p><p>Elan notched an eyebrow. They had both changed tons since they’d last met, and Baekhyun liked to believe he was the one who had changed for the better. Elan cleared his throat –</p><p>“You see, I last left on a secretive mission. Things are changing around-”</p><p>Baekhyun cut him off, “You’d told me you were leaving to find out more about my condition, and to meet that <em>friend </em>of yours.”</p><p>Elan’s eyes appeared to be a murky shade of green. He fumbled with his fingers – a sign of weakness – before he said, “As a Peacemaker Baekhyun, I try to make <em>everything </em>I do more resourceful. Shoot one arrow but get two birds. That’s my motto.”</p><p>“Then,” Baekhyun shifted on his seat, “Did you find out about my condition?”</p><p>In the music of life, a beat had already been skipped when Elan started speaking, and that told Baekhyun everything he wanted to know, but Elan himself had taught him – <em>knowledge is a hilt when shared, and a blade when kept.</em></p><p>He needed the blade now.</p><p>“I wasn’t able to find out more than what we are already aware of,” Elan’s glassy eyes bore into his, “But don’t worry, my child, I <em>will </em>ensure your protection.”</p><p>“From?” Baekhyun tested. He knew the answer. All he wanted to find out was whether Elan knew about the entire Aurorian Myth too.</p><p>But he hadn’t expected Elan’s answer.</p><p>His father shuffled his hands before murmuring a chant underneath his breath. The crystal ball on his desk lit up, casting its light all around the room. Baekhyun watched closely as the lights flickered, until they settled on a scene – a brown land with many ants.</p><p>Baekhyun turned his head towards Elan, “Why are you showing me this? I don’t think ants are related to the situation at hand.”</p><p>The edge of Elan’s lips turned up, “I suggest you take another look, my child. Those aren’t ants.”</p><p>Baekhyun frowned but leaned closer to the ball. Honestly, they were just ants – no. They weren’t ants. His eyes widened –</p><p>“That’s an army,” Baekhyun muttered, “And they are <em>not </em>Aurorians.”</p><p>Elan nodded grimly, “There lies another land, my child – the land of misery.” Baekhyun took in a sharp breath, “The people of that land hate Aurora, for we stand for peace and justice, and they’d take steps to convert our peace to misery…by the means of war.”</p><p>
  <em>“A war?”</em>
</p><p>The crystal ball cast haunted lights on Elan’s cloak as he stood up, “I shall try my best to stop the war, but you will remember one of the first things I taught you.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded. The adage was imprinted on his mind –</p><p>
  <em>Si vis Pacem, para Bellum.</em>
</p><p>“If you want peace,” Baekhyun stared out of the window, and imagined the green, sunny fields tainted by the red of blood and the black of sin, the soil haunted by the ash of many who fell, the air permeated by the stench of death, the blue sky covered by clouds, and Crosswords destructed by the storms and flames, and Baekhyun – a name that would be erased from history, but buried in the minds of those who suffered, “Prepare for war.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>"That's troubling, isn't it?" Chanyeol's perked up, "I didn't even think of the possibility of the people of Veysigz declaring war on Aurora, and honestly, it makes sense."</p><p>Baekhyun halted his steps, "How?"</p><p>Chanyeol shrugged, "Well, we know bits and pieces of what went down for the first time, right? There are three characters - Aurora, Elijah and Viscaris," he paused, gauging if anybody would possess them, "Elijah and Aurora were supposed to get married, but Aurora ran away - that's what your dream said that night - and Elijah was drowned by Aurora..." This was where things became confusing, because Baekhyun was the heir, yet Chanyeol was the one who played Aurora in his dreams.</p><p>"Let's suppose," Baekhyun started, "Everything about me is a hoax, and continue."</p><p>Chanyeol looked like he wanted to protest, but he sighed, "Alright. Anyway, Elijah was the one who cursed Aurora...what was it again?"</p><p>"'The cycle will repeat Aurora until you make it right.'" Baekhyun said, "That's the curse."</p><p>Chanyeol nodded, "Yeah...and Viscaris fits somewhere in the story."</p><p>Both of them waited for the spirits to take over them, but nothing happened.</p><p>Baekhyun sighed, "I drank the elixir recently. It's working well."</p><p>For a moment, they stood there, on the extension that connected the main castle towards the Flamma Tower. It was a narrow cemented bridge, covered by a curved surface. The sides were open, and they could see the Lake of Luck in all its blue-green glory. The pre-autumn winds were nice, and it was a relaxing day.</p><p>Yet, there was a missing puzzle piece in the story. <em>Viscaris.</em></p><p>"Let's just hurry up," Chanyeol suggested, "Mr. River has a bad temper."</p><p>Baekhyun nodded and grabbed the back of Chanyeol's shirt, trusting the taller boy to walk them to the Astronomy Class, while he struggled with the thoughts in his mind. As they were walking, his eyes fell upon the wall - a habit he had developed - and it was there for him to see:</p><p>
  <em>The wronged are coming. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Sunday, 26 September</strong>
</p><p>Days ticked by quickly. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had agreed that the most they could do was to go through everything the library could offer and try those chants that they would never <em>dream </em>of casting in the daylight.</p><p>Baekhyun bit his lip, "Are you sure about this?"</p><p>"You've been curious about this for so long, Baek," Chanyeol urged on, "Let's just try it."</p><p>The heir raised his wand again, and this time he would cast it, "Step back."</p><p>Chanyeol gingerly took a few steps back.</p><p>"More."</p><p>The taller boy raced to the back of the library and rolled his eyes, "Go on."</p><p>Baekhyun looked at the being below - it was a fat bee, old and weak. He took in another breath, trying to calm his heart down, and pointed Luna's end towards the being -</p><p><em>"Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.</em>" Baekhyun's voice echoed around the library, and tons of things happened all at once. The lights of the candles were blown out, and the glass windows shattered, pieces scattering all around the room like a destructive whirlwind. The room shook and creaked, and bookshelves toppled over. Someone shouted - was it him or was it Chanyeol? A great burst of dark energy - black whips of absolute <em>power </em>- rushed out from Luna and impaled the bee. The lashes ejected were so strong that they raced across the Anancite floor, breaking the unbreakable wood with <em>brute </em>strength.</p><p>There was a strange melody playing out in Baekhyun's ear, and it was the most beautiful thing he had heard. There was a distinct aroma around the room, and he indulged in it. There was a certain taste upon his tongue - bitter, yet sweet - alcohol on the tongue of an alcoholic.</p><p>Then, everything stopped.</p><p>For a moment, he registered the silence. He had briefly felt the impact of that <em>silence </em>when there was a bloodcurdling scream, and he immediately turned his head towards the right - the back wall of the library.</p><p>He gasped, his eyes wide with horror.</p><p>For where once stood his best-friend, now, the spot was occupied by someone else...someone that <em>looked </em>like Chanyeol but wasn't <em>his </em>Chanyeol.</p><p>Chanyeol's brown, messy rocks had turned to a flaming shade of red, swept-back across his head. His pretty hazel-brown eyes were unrecognizable. One of his eyes was a shade of ice-blue, and the other...it wasn't an eye. Embedded into the white swirly canvass of his eyes was a black bead. His lips were bleeding, and there was a huge bruise on his head.</p><p>His Chanyeol was lanky and awkward with his height, but this one stood straight, dressed in dark leather. This one held a curved blade in his hand - <em>a scythe, </em>Baekhyun realized as his heart sank, <em>Chanyeol held a scythe in his hands.</em></p><p>For a moment, among all this destruction, there was calm, a strange calm. In his mind, tons of bunched up feminine voices spoke – <em>Oh, we’re finally uncovered all characters. </em>The knobs in his head turned, urged on by Misery’s comment, and he realized who was standing in front of him – the last missing piece, the person in question.</p><p>
  <em>For the winds may blow, and the sun may shine</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For the winds may die, and the sun may hide,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There exists eternal pain embedded in the heart of man</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For life is misery since the day it began.</em>
</p><p>That’s what the book Beyond: Walking Past Aurora started with, and now, the physical manifestation of <em>him </em>stood in front of Baekhyun, in the form of his best friend. Few details were muggy, and some lines were blurred, but one thing was clear: Chanyeol hosted Viscaris.</p><p>Waves of pain, anguish, misery struck Baekhyun, hurt him, and with a start, he realized that his personal mind-invader was taking over him again. He had just drunk a Control Elixir before coming here, but <em>he </em>was stronger, angrier, and would not be stopped by a golden fluid.</p><p>
  <em>Let me out!</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun held onto the sill of the broken windows, barely registering pain as a glass chunk pierced his skin. He could see spots, and his vision swum as he battled with that voice for control.</p><p>
  <em>Who…are you?</em>
</p><p>He knew, but he had to confirm.</p><p>
  <em>Back off, young boy, I’ve controlled far stronger people than you. I shall put an end to this madness. I shall be the one to impale Viscaris with his own sword, so let me out!</em>
</p><p>The last words echoed in his mind, spinning around and he felt his self giving up, slowly slipping back, before his eyes landed on an object that had been kicked away in the destruction. Chanyeol’s glasses were silver-rimmed and they gleamed in the dim light that entered from the windows<em>. </em>‘Mr Park’s glasses are enough of a protection. I’d just hope he doesn’t take them off’ – Elan had told him that. Family heirloom…enchanted glasses.</p><p>Baekhyun jumped across the room, and his mind strained. The spirit got excited as it came closer to Chanyeol, and for a moment, Baekhyun’s own consciousness slipped away, replaced by the voice. It was as if he had been placed in a lucid dream, watching himself move, but not owning up to the actions. His body moved swiftly, with more weight – like a warrior – towards Chanyeol, whose beady eye moved up and down, seizing him up.</p><p>Then, Baekhyun – no, the <em>voice – </em>spoke, “Viscaris, I shall finally have my revenge. You’ve tainted our existence, stomped on our dreams. You should’ve remained <em>caged </em>in your little cave, and not destroyed our balance.” It was Baekhyun who spoke everything, but it wasn’t <em>him. </em>Unlike the other times, this time he felt disconnected from his body – maybe, it was the control elixir acting up to whatever degree it could.</p><p>The air sparkled as Chanyeol— no, Viscaris spoke, “Must I remind you, Elijah, that it was your beloved who set me free, your beloved who requested my love.”</p><p>That was all Baekhyun needed to hear, and it appeared that it was what triggered Elijah too. Before Baekhyun could move a finger, Elijah had jumped over Chanyeol, who hit him in the stomach with the hilt of his scythe. Baekhyun gasped as the air was blown out of his lungs, but he was forced to get up again.</p><p>
  <em>Get your wand out!</em>
</p><p>The voice was utterly demanding, but Baekhyun held back – because, through the beady eyes and the extreme makeover that the man standing in front of him was wearing, he could see the wide hazel eyes, frozen in panic and pain, much like Baekhyun had been every time he was possessed.</p><p>
  <em>I will kill him.</em>
</p><p>It was a promise made by Elijah, who struggled against him. Baekhyun’s vision darkened and he knew if he let himself slip away; he wouldn’t have any time to gain himself back. Elijah <em>hated </em>Viscaris, and all these deities – they were caught up in some huge triangle, but that wasn’t the case for Baekhyun and Chanyeol. For them, it had always been each other, and that was the way it would continue to be.</p><p>And Elijah had to be a fool to think his hatred for Viscaris could win over Baekhyun’s love for Chanyeol when he was conscious. No, not today.</p><p><em>You will </em>not <em>hurt Chanyeol.</em></p><p>Before Elijah could make Baekhyun lung for Chanyeol again, the boy slid across the floor and grabbed the glasses. Then, the hard part remained. He moved closer to Chanyeol who immediately swung the scythe at him, but he just ducked. Elijah hammered in his head like a constant rock band stuck in there, but Baekhyun did not listen to him. He grabbed Chanyeol’s foot and tipped him over, pulling him back in a way so he lay on the ground. Before Viscaris could recover, he climbed over Chanyeol and thrust the glasses into his face.</p><p>Now, it would be over.</p><p>He was wrong.</p><p>Chanyeol – still, with the beady eyes – turned him over and the skies outside thundered as the scythe was pulled back, catching the light and glimmering, an obsidian blade with a sharp edge and then it was thrust. Suddenly, he wasn’t Baekhyun anymore, and Elijah took over in full force, unleashing a shimmering golden sword out of nowhere and –</p><p>
  <em>NO.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun’s scream shocked both of them. Light spilt out of his fingers and crashed into the entire room, getting absorbed by every object until the room could blind people. There was nobody in Baekhyun’s head – just him, and emptiness. He panted, eyes closed, as he realized the shock had caused Elijah to temporarily recede.</p><p>It was silent.</p><p>Still with his eyes closed, he couldn’t feel the <em>waves </em>of misery Viscaris emitted, nor could he feel the heat of the light he had expelled. It was a temporary display of power, maybe. The only thing he could feel was exhaustion. In the past fifteen minutes or so, he had done a super-powerful dark chant that had broken Anancite wood, and in a mentally-fucked up perspective, he had enjoyed the freedom it brought – although, that could be Elijah, and then he had a mental war with the voice in his head, a physical one with the spirit that had taken over his best friend, had tried to stop deaths from occurring by slipping spectacles onto said best-friend, and done a spectacular (no pun intended) display of his light powers.</p><p>This wasn’t what he had imagined himself to be doing when he was younger…younger by thirty minutes.</p><p>“B-Baekhyun?”</p><p>His eyes shot open. Chanyeol was looming over him – this was <em>his </em>Chanyeol – hair messy, eyes a dark shade of hazel, and Yoda-ears. The taller boy’s arms were around him, caging him, and his face was too close – but Baekhyun needed that. He needed Chanyeol close. He wrapped his arms around those muscular shoulders and pulled him down. Chanyeol crushed his body, and made movement impossible, but it wasn’t like he <em>wanted </em>to move at that instance…or that he could move, considering how tired and injured he was.</p><p>Chanyeol aligned his face just next to Baekhyun’s – such that his cheek rested on Baekhyun’s eyelids, their breaths intermingled. Chanyeol’s breath was metallic, tinged by blood, while Baekhyun still smelt like the honey-tasting elixir he had drunk earlier. They shifted until one of Chanyeol’s hands wound around his waist, and the other cupped his shoulder from the back. Chanyeol’s arm burned against Baekhyun’s back, but it was the good kind of burning.</p><p>“That was insane,” Baekhyun’s voice was shakier than what they had expected it to be, “That…<em>fuck.</em>”</p><p>Baekhyun had never been much of a curser, but the past few months had caused him to curse more. It was just another one of the ways in which this whole ordeal had changed him, and honestly, some days he was confused between which side of himself he preferred: the nice, responsible one who was perfect in his little own sphere or the real, ruder one that was roughened by life.</p><p>“You – you were amazing,” Chanyeol breathed, “You – <em>Baekhyun.</em>”</p><p>There was something special in the way Chanyeol breathed out his name and the hot gush of air struck his skin, something in the way Chanyeol leaned up, fixed his glasses before delivering a kiss to Baekhyun’s crown, and something in the way he kept planting kisses everywhere and Baekhyun kept leaning into them. He liked this side of himself – the side that was with Chanyeol, alive and strong, soft and kind. There was something about the way he felt like when he was with Chanyeol –</p><p>- and that something could very well start with the letter ‘L.’</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>3</h1><p>
  <strong>An excerpt from Beyond: Walking Past Aurora</strong>
</p><p>‘…face the Mist. The Mist, indeed, it evokes curiosity from a man’s heart, for it is much simpler than what one may expect it to be. It is just mist, the kind that you see on a dewy winter morning. But this mist is so thick that one can’t see the ‘winter morning’ part of it. It is an endless stretch of white, and it is cold. Surely, if you step into the mist with hopes and dreams, they will get crushed. The feeling of it is similar to standing in a hot desert, but lonelier, for you can’t even see the sun and the stars. But it is not impossible to navigate it. There’s just one requirement: nothing. Walk like a man who knows, and you shall be lost; walk like a lost man and you might get found; for hopeless, lost people find despair, and despair finds Misery.’ </p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 5 October</strong>
</p><p>There was much chatter around Crosswords. The Guards of Peace had been deported on the Eastern edge of the Academy, and all classes held in the Eastern Wing were suspended and moved to the extended Castle. </p><p>“Do you think they'll ask us to move?” Yuta asked, munching on his cherry-bread, “If they do, I wonder which house we’ll share with.”</p><p>Jongin shrugged, “I don’t suppose they would. If they had to, they wouldn’t have waited a week.” Baekhyun watched them with empty eyes. They didn’t know why reforms were going on, and he doubted they were curious enough. The Assembly had mentioned that an ‘alien-war’ could take place, and that they were working on stopping it. That had been it. Nobody had said anything further. “It is like we are all oppressed,” Chanyeol had commented on the issue, “They trust the government to a level of insanity – one that could be called oppression.”</p><p>Yuta pouted and crumbs of bread fell down his chin, “I miss Home-Arts. Are elves going to leave the fields and stay in the woods now?”</p><p>“I dunno,” Jongin’s eyes scanned the room – for Kyungsoo, most probably – “We’ll come to know anyway. What’s the point of worrying about it now?”</p><p>Baekhyun was the so-called heir, but sometimes he felt like he couldn’t understand Aurorians at all. That was what he had told Chanyeol last night – “I don’t think it’s the government oppressing them,” he had eyed the book on his desk: Beyond: Walking Past Aurora, and continued, “I think oppression is in their blood.”</p><p>That was how they were different from Earthren – the people of Earth fought, and ugh, they fought a lot for whatever they believed in, but in Aurora, they believed in only one thing and that was peace. Peace was their religion and their ally, and anything that questioned it, was their enemy.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“You’re still watching them,” Chanyeol remarked as he placed the cup of tea on the windowsill, and sat on a nearby chair, “What if they get suspicious?”</p><p>Baekhyun lifted the cup to his mouth and blew the steam off, which fogged the iridescent windows, “What’s wrong with the heir of their kingdom watching them?”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled lightly, “You’re too stubborn.”</p><p>“We match,” Baekhyun took a sip, “Don’t pretend that you did not steal a castle plan and a chart displaying the position of the guards.”</p><p>Baekhyun appreciated the position of the Aphrodite Tower, which faced the endless fields. It allowed him to stare at the guards and their routine checks with the excuse of looking outside the window. The Aurorian Guards wore grey armours, and held red flags, stomping around the ground. Baekhyun had already learned their routine.</p><p>“Don’t you feel like the time is near?” Chanyeol mused, holding on tightly to his coffee cup, “Like all the strings are coming together in the best, and yet, in the worst way?”</p><p>Baekhyun observed the taller. Over the past few weeks, Chanyeol had grown muscly, and there was newfound maturity in his brown eyes, shielded by the round, silver-rimmed glasses. He had battled hard against fate and time, and he had conquered those battles and never looked down once…for the kingdom and peace, “I do. The shutters are going to be up soon, and we must get out of the shadows.”</p><p>Somehow, it referred to more things than they could count. There was a slight hesitation in Chanyeol’s eyes, but Baekhyun was determined. This was not going to be about ‘them,’ not yet, but there was something he needed to do. He put his coffee back on the sill and kneeled in front of Chanyeol. His cloak cascaded down and spread across the ground –</p><p>“There is nothing that marks me as an heir except for words, Chanyeol, so I can only give my words to you,” Baekhyun chuckled, “You might wonder why am I doing this, and to be honest, I do not know. But it bothered me. So, I wanted to make this clear once and for all.” He took a deep breath, staring holes in the ground, before he found the courage.</p><p>“I, Byun Baekhyun, step back as the heir of Aurora and hand over my position to the <em>real </em>heir…which is you,” he wasn’t able to look at Chanyeol, “I do not know how I’m allowed in this kingdom, Chanyeol, but this is not my <em>real </em>home. Because, I am an orphan, and people like me…don’t belong anywhere.”</p><p>The Aurorian Guards marched underneath, singing the anthems and shouting the slogans. In the distance, some intense running practice went on in the woods. Some students sat and laughed in the common room. But they remained in utter stillness, and they felt the deafening pain.</p><p>Chanyeol fell to his knees and grabbed Baekhyun’s chin in a delicate hold, “Baek… This – this is not something I could do.”</p><p>Baekhyun felt Chanyeol <em>looking </em>at him, but his eyes remained downcast, “But you <em>are </em>the heir.” Aurorians, the Professors and their friends would not understand why it was such a huge deal. But for Baekhyun who had never really belonged but felt accepted in this place, and for Chanyeol who had always belonged but never felt accepted … it was not a little detail they could brush over. The stars had been aligned beautifully, but sometimes; they are not supposed to look beautiful. There had been two options in front of Chanyeol and Baekhyun – justice, and peace, and Byun Baekhyun had always had a sweet spot for peace, while Park Chanyeol believed in utter justice. “It is only justice for the people that they get the true heir, and it is nothing but justice to you. You are Aurora’s chosen heir.”</p><p>Now, they had to switch the roles.</p><p>“Baekhyun, they’d never find out. I do <em>not </em>want to be the ruler. I refuse to take that responsibility. It is going to spread havoc, and I will not be able to deal with it. But you <em>can.</em>” Chanyeol’s words sounded strained. Maybe, Baekhyun thought, they had always known that Baekhyun wasn’t the legitimate heir. But they had always ignored that detail.</p><p>“I don’t belong here, Chanyeol.” He lifted his head to stare at Chanyeol, look into the depths of his eyes. He was entranced by the dancing hazel, by the soft glimmer that shone in his eyes, by the pain that he badly wanted to remove, “Don’t cry…” <em>Helpless. </em>That’s how he felt.</p><p>“You’re crying too.” Chanyeol swept his thumb underneath Baekhyun’s eyes, collecting a drop of tear, “See? Isn’t that hypocritical of you to say?”</p><p>It felt horrible, admitting that the only title he had in his life wasn’t really his, but it had to be done. Chanyeol might be weak now, but he won’t be. In the future, he would claim his land and his people. Maybe, he won’t spare Baekhyun a look…maybe, Baekhyun won’t be alive to be <em>looked </em>at.</p><p>Upon Baekhyun’s silence, Chanyeol pulled him closer. The older’s locks tumbled down, and he buried his head into Chanyeol’s chest without a word of protest. They were a mess – lying on the floor, a heap of tears, coffee cold and forgotten, sins on their wands and dark chants at their lips…yet, they were pure. They were not much different from a snake wrapped around sandalwood; they were poisonous and yet, they never lost their purity.</p><p>“And Baek,” Chanyeol’s voice was scratchy, and he wasn’t sure whether to speak or not, but looking into Baekhyun’s wet, sea-green eyes, the words slipped out on their own, “You belong with me. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t of Earth or Aurora; what matters is that you’re by my side.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s words hung around the area, warming it up, before sinking into his heart. He sniffled in Chanyeol’s shirt, and slapped his arm –</p><p>“N-Nerd!”</p><p>Chanyeol let out a wet chuckle, and held him close, held him tight, like he’d never let go, and Baekhyun never wanted to let go. He could stay there for the rest of his life in the comfort that he had never known before…and in something else.</p><p>Baekhyun should’ve named that something else by now, but just like a snake wrapped around sandalwood, they shouldn’t be disturbed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ne plus ultra - No further</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Friday, 9 October</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>23:52</strong>
</p><p>“Something’s wrong,” Baekhyun came to a halt, crunching a twig underneath his feet. Chanyeol frowned at him, and moved his lit-up wand Pearl around, shedding light on their surroundings. The Weary Woods hadn’t changed a bit. The shaky, quivering trees were still as haunting as Baekhyun remembered them to be, and the ground was covered with debris. But there was something different about tonight that Baekhyun couldn’t place a finger on, “We didn’t see any guards.”</p><p>Chanyeol rolled his eyes and pointed his wand forward, “We rarely see the guard-dogs, Baek, and they won’t recognize us because we don’t smell.”</p><p>“Right.” Yet, he looked on ahead towards the Sparkling Stream. The water cascaded downwards, rippling and clear in the silence of the night. He pulled onto his cloak tighter, “Let’s just move ahead.”</p><p>“That,” Chanyeol started, jumping deftly above the tree-trunk that had fallen the first night they came here, “Would be nice.” He turned around with his hand outstretched for Baekhyun to take, but the boy hesitated. Chanyeol notched an eyebrow.</p><p>“Baekhyun,” his deep voice sent chills down his spine, “Nothing is wrong. Trust me.”</p><p><em>Trust. </em>The boy leapt over by his own but snuck his hand into Chanyeol’s warm one and pulled him towards the stream. The first time they had been here, Chanyeol had said – <em>I can’t find myself to trust you right now. </em>Baekhyun found himself in a similar state. Suddenly, he halted again.</p><p>“Chanyeol,” he looked at the other with wide eyes, “I drank the control elixir, right?”</p><p>The taller of the two creased his eyebrows at the question, “Yes, you did Baek. Are you – uhm – worried that he’s going to possess you?”</p><p>Baekhyun heaved a sigh, “I honestly don’t know. I just…don’t feel like we’re alone here.” Technically, they weren’t. All the trees were alive, after all. But that night, there was something different. He was nervous in a way he would be before a stage performance and worried in a way he would be when he knew someone had schemed against him and was going to stop at nothing to ruin his stage. Tonight, he was back on the chessboard, and this time, he was playing the pawn. He held onto Chanyeol’s elbow, looking at him helplessly, “Don’t you feel that way?”</p><p>Chanyeol was torn; he bit his lip and his eyes darted around, before he admitted, “I don’t. It’s the same for me.” Baekhyun sighed and let go of his arm. He was painfully aware of Chanyeol staring at him, and that didn’t make things better. Was Chanyeol being honest? What if he was in this grand scheme? But…that wasn’t possible.</p><p>“Baek?” Chanyeol’s voice was soft, “I’m sorry. I don’t… feel anything.” The look on Chanyeol’s face made Baekhyun’s stomach dip with guilt –</p><p>“It’s okay. It’s fine,” He said, albeit too quickly, “I’m just going psycho again.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled lightly, “Should we move ahead or…?”</p><p>“Yeah – yeah, let’s go.” Baekhyun smiled at Chanyeol, showing things were okay and they walked on ahead, even as Baekhyun’s nape tingled and all signs in his brain screamed at him to stop, and to run.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> “Here we are,” Chanyeol kneeled on the ground to clear the debris away from the window that led to the library. It was a routine they had developed and danced to in perfect synchronization. Chanyeol would remove the debris, Baekhyun would open the window and climb down through the ladder and Chanyeol would close the window after them. Normally, they were done with the process in less than five minutes, but that night, Baekhyun was looking at something else – the huge statue of Aurora.</p><p>Her eyes were hollow wood, and her features weren’t very clear, but Baekhyun felt a <em>deep </em>attraction towards her. Pain built up in his chest, and his breathing went haywire when he realized what was happening.</p><p>
  <em>Aurora.</em>
</p><p>“C-Chanyeol,” Baekhyun breathed out with difficulty, “He’s trying to take over me. Elijah is…” He couldn’t complete the sentence as he fell onto the balls on his ankles, holding his head between his knees.</p><p>
  <em>Stop!</em>
</p><p>But Elijah’s voice was lost; he wasn’t even listening to Baekhyun – <em>Aurora. </em>The longing and absolute love was an ultimate punch to Baekhyun’s gut. He tried to look at Chanyeol, but it was hard to focus. His vision was fading.</p><p>Then, there was a completely different sensation on his body, one that wasn’t caused by primordial deities. His eyes flew open as he took control once again.</p><p>“Chanyeol…do you feel-?” The air prickled with a sudden energy, a magic that he didn’t recognize. And they were the only ones here, or so they had <em>thought.</em></p><p>Chanyeol resembled prey caught in a cage, “Baekhyun. This is a detecting chant. They’d know we are here; beyond the wards and actively engaged in dark chants.” They were stupid, foolish, and naïve. With increased security checks and Aurorian guards employed around the Academy, how could they think that their magic would not be intercepted? Baekhyun pulled onto his hair, his breathing harsh when Chanyeol grabbed onto his arm –</p><p>“Hurry. Come with me. If we get inside the library and cover the window up, they’d never find us. You’re the only one who could open the window,” Baekhyun dreaded the thought of being alone in the library with Chanyeol when Elijah was threatening to take over. But it had to be fine. They had done this before. He forced himself to stand up and opened the window. He had almost jumped when there was a sudden sound – <em>alarm bells. </em>The chanter had detected them.</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes widened, “Baekhyun, there’s going to be a blast next-”</p><p>There was a blast, and Baekhyun fell against the cave, coughing up smoke and fire and whatever that magic was. Sparks shot up from where they were – <em>that’s how they traced them – </em>and he moved around blindly, before getting up. It would be fine, he told himself, they’d at least take the quarter of an hour to come to this position.</p><p>“Chanyeol, are you okay…” He trailed off, because sitting in front of him, lying against the tree wasn’t his nerdy best-friend, Park Chanyeol. It was Viscaris. The constant throbbing in his head intensified more, and more and more, until his consciousness fell to the back. He turned towards the statue and one word slipped from his lips –</p><p>“Aurora.”</p><p>Baekhyun was again put to a lucid state of mind, and he watched as he – Elijah – walked over to Chanyeol – Viscaris – whose lips were tugged up into a smirk.</p><p>“So, you’re finally here,” were the words that Viscaris said, “You want her back, but I never took her away. It was purely her own decision.”</p><p>Elijah snarled and suddenly, he had a sword in his hands, gleaming in all its golden glory. Baekhyun sobbed but nobody was going to listen to him. This time, Elijah had taken over completely.</p><p>And that scared Baekhyun.</p><p>“<em>You </em>tainted her mind and manipulated her, Viscaris. Aurora is our peace. She’s <em>my </em>peace,” Elijah tipped the sword closer to Viscaris, burying it under his chin, “And as the Guardian, I shall end you.” The words were simple, but the heaviness in them was something that Baekhyun couldn’t take. Somewhere in between, he registered that they were conversing in Veyshigi. That…was scarier.</p><p>“I assure you,” Viscaris stood up, and his leather cloak fell to the ground, gleaming in the moonlight, “I did none of the sort. I have no interest in your lovey-fight, but Aurora comes to me with the promise of peace. And for a man as miserable as me, peace is what I truly chase.”</p><p>Elijah bared his teeth, “Then, I shall give you eternal peace. Wouldn’t you like that?” The air chilled around them. The tension was too high. The forest had quietened down, as if every tree was listening to them. But Baekhyun could hear the constant march of the soldiers. They didn’t have much time. He <em>needed </em>to take over himself.</p><p>He knew he couldn’t.</p><p>“Misery isn’t one to be <em>killed </em>by the common man, Elijah. Put that sword down. I never know which unfound side of mine you could trigger.” Viscaris’s beady eyes turned around and his lips tugged up, “Although, peace can be easily disturbed by Misery.”</p><p>Elijah stood no more. He roared and struck Viscaris, but the latter moved back swiftly, unleashing his own scythe. Baekhyun’s heart ached – <em>no. Chanyeol. </em>This wasn’t going to be pretty. Elijah closed in, and slashed his blade around, fuelled by complete anger that pounded through his blood. The blade brushed by Viscaris’s arm before he jumped back and lifted his sword. Sparks shot off when their blades met. Viscaris’s expression was pained, and there was an emptiness in his eyes. Elijah, on the other hand, jumped, hacked, slashed, and stabbed. Every roar was filled with anger, and years and years of experience moulded with fury to turn him into a monster.</p><p>
  <em>Is this what the Guardian of Peace was supposed to look like?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Was this the cost at which peace was promised?</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun felt like a little child watching his parents fight, unsure, devastated, and helpless. <em>Stop it! </em>He told Elijah numerous times, but to no avail. There was only one chant going through Elijah’s mind, playing like a broken record player – <em>Aurora. Aurora. Aurora.</em></p><p>Was this what they called love?</p><p>Through Elijah’s anger-glazed eyes, he looked at Chanyeol, who wore the face of Viscaris. The sea-green eye, and the beady eye hid those dark hazel orbs somewhere in them, and Baekhyun wanted to see them.</p><p>“You will <em>not </em>survive!” Elijah’s voice cracked and he panted heavily, raising his sword again. He dove the blade on the hilt of Viscaris’s scythe, and the obsidian blade clashed to the ground. <em>Please. </em>He swung his leg over Viscaris’s waist and pushed his knee into his stomach, pushing him down to the ground. Elijah roared in pain – and Baekhyun felt the shouts of the guards coming closer. He wanted to shut his eyes, but he couldn’t for this was what Elijah had wished to see for eternities.</p><p>“Finally…you’ll suffer for your crime.” Elijah raised his sword and Baekhyun let out a sob. The sword dipped down, but just as it touched Viscaris’s clothes, his eyes flashed and the dull sea-green came to life, glimmering with power. Viscaris’s clothes fell away and were replaced by a white cloak.</p><p>“A-Aurora?” Elijah’s voice stuttered out.</p><p>In the next moment, his world shifted and turned, and Aurora lay over him. Chanyeol’s face was filled with rage, and evil that Viscaris hadn’t exuded. She grabbed Elijah’s sword, and like a true man drowned in love, he gave it up. Aurora was going to save them, right? But then, she lifted the sword –</p><p>“Peace has been destructed quite a long while ago, Elijah. <em>This </em>is the life I chose, and here, there is no need of you.” The sword came down, the gold gleamed once again. Baekhyun held his breath. <em>No, Chanyeol, no! </em>He shouted and screamed, a thousand thoughts crossing his mind, but Elijah just had one thought –</p><p>
  <em>Oh. So, this is the way it is.</em>
</p><p>The sword came down and pain erupted in Baekhyun’s body. He was screaming – he didn’t know if Elijah was, but the pain filled all of his cells and burnt his body. His tears were hot, and his body <em>shook. </em>It was unbearable, and slowly, he came to realize that he was dying.</p><p>
  <em>I can’t die, yet.</em>
</p><p>But everybody who laid in their dying beds had that thought. The pain seared through and somewhere in between, Elijah and he melted into one person.</p><p>
  <em>“N-no. B-Baek? Baekhyun?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Chanyeol.</em>
</p><p>For a moment, Elijah was pushed back as he arose, panting, sweating, the life slipping out from his eyes. <em>Chanyeol. I – Chanyeol! </em>There was only one thought in his mind, and that was <em>his </em>name. It rattled from one side to another, a string of sanity caught among this insanity, the only thing that he <em>understood. </em>The ground shook underneath him, and he realized they were footsteps – they were coming. He looked up at Chanyeol, eyes wider than before – or at least he hoped, and tried to convey. Was he going to say his last words? <em>Chanyeol, be safe. Chanyeol, I lo – </em>His chest hurt and squeezed, and he realized that there weren’t going to be any last words. Everything was burning for a moment, before everything cooled down. <em>The cycle will continue until you make it right Aurora. </em>We must break it. The last thing he remembered before his eyelids fell over his eyes was the increased sounds of footsteps, security bells and continued screams and sobs of Chanyeol. </p><p>➸</p><p>➸</p><p>➸</p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 10 October</strong>
</p><p><em>Toska – </em>a state of great anguish, sorrow, longing and melancholy beyond bearable bounds. A word that had no English counterpart. An emotion that couldn’t be described, but only felt.</p><p>As Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun’s beautiful body shattering apart into fragments of light, as if he’d just been a dream, a boy from nowhere who had left his mark everywhere before returning to a place nobody could ever reach, the footsteps of the approaching guards became clearer. Their voices weren’t muffled anymore. It was a matter of thirty seconds, and they’d see his crouched figure. Chanyeol got up and staggered towards the window. He climbed into it and covered the window with the debris before closing it. Their sounds faded away.</p><p>He sat on the corner of the library in the darkened room, holding onto his knees. His eyes were empty, and his mind played the event that had taken place a bit earlier. He was empty, and he was raging. Seconds ticked by; and turned into hours. The state of <em>toska</em> continued to follow him.</p><p>For the first time in his seventeen years of existence, Chanyeol understood. It was hard to explain the conclusions he had arrived at, but now, he knew. Pain, life, misery, truth, lies…and love. He knew. Surrounded by empty darkness – the one that was present in front of him, and the one that was present inside him – he suffered.</p><p>He didn’t know how long it had been when he heard the chirping of birds. He got up, wincing at the way his joints popped, as if he was an old man. Maybe, he was. The day before, he’d been younger, brighter, filled with wonder and curiosity. Now, it all didn’t matter. He stood near the window – the curtains were pulled – and he didn’t want to look at the outside world, yet.</p><p>It seemed unreal, more unreal than the way Baekhyun had erupted into light.</p><p>“I’m done,” he spoke to nobody, just for the sake of hearing his voice, for the sake of the finality, “With this Aurorian Myth, this miserable roleplay and playing out some old creeps’ problematic love triangle.” There was more he wanted to say, regarding ‘love.’ But he kept it to himself because it would hurt more. Because the one who he genuinely wanted to hear those words…wasn’t here.</p><p><em>Liefdesverdriet – </em>the sadness, depression, or pain one feels about a love unanswered, or a love <em>gone.</em></p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p><em> “All I know is what I read in the papers!” </em>Chanyeol cast, moving Pearl with deft, practised motions. He tried to summon enthusiasm in his voice, although he might have not succeeded. But the chant worked. The reading table in the library shimmered, and Crossword’s official newspaper materialized on it – <em>Crosswords Chronicle. </em>Chanyeol had a fleeting thought that the Aurorian Kingdom wasn’t creative with naming their stuff. If Baekhyun was there, they’d have a huge conversation about this…but he wasn’t.</p><p>He picked the newspaper and it was there for him to see on the front page: <em>Academy’s Classes Suspended. Students to be sent back home. </em>The article mentioned how they had reported usage of dark magic in the forbidden grounds of the academy, and as a safety prevention, the students were sent back in a hurry. The academy had failed to conduct a proper roll call, for which they were sorry. Chanyeol sighed in relief. If the roll call hadn’t been conducted, then they wouldn’t find out that Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun were the only ones missing; and Chanyeol would prefer it remained that way.</p><p>His eyes glanced upon the closed curtains; and he walked towards it, with one destination in mind. When he drew the curtains open, the first smile since that event morphed on his face. It was Jongin’s garden – huge, with shrubs growing off to the edges, and a path that cut through them, leading to a barren area with swings and trees. Chanyeol looked back at the library, and he grabbed his and Baekhyun’s gifted books – <em>Traitor </em>and untitled, feeling giddy that they kept it there. He opened the windows, felt the late September wind on his face and jumped out.</p><p>He was lucky, to say the least, because all his friends were gathered in the barren area, sitting down upon cushions. As his footsteps reached them, Kyungsoo got up, looking at him with wide, baffled eyes –</p><p>“<em>Chanyeol?”</em></p><p>As Chanyeol saw all of them, looking at him, sitting under the sunlight peacefully, something in him broke. His clothes were dirty, torn, a bit bloody at places. He smelt like a pig; and he was hungry, thirsty, and tired. The exhaustion, the trauma and the terror reached his peak and he found his vision fading away. He dropped; someone caught him, and the last thing he saw was the bright, yellow sun.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>When he woke up, he was lying in Jongin’s bed; the doors locked and seven people occupying different seats around the room. Junmyeon was the one that came to him.</p><p>“We need to talk.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>He awoke to dreamlike surroundings, the familiar distant tolling of a bell, and the ghost of last words lingering in his ears – <em>we must break the cycle. </em>He stood up, and then he realized he was sitting – on a bench. He was in a cave, with railway tracks laid out on the ground. A small flower bloomed in the utter darkness. Both openings of this cave were covered with ivy. He could not choose which direction to go in; or whether he wanted to move. On the right, he could hear the bells, and sounds – an orchestra. On the left, there wasn’t any sound.</p><p>For some reason, he found himself gravitating towards the right…but he stopped. His head ached; he didn’t understand anything. He…needed rest. Then, he was walking towards the left with slow but steady steps. He drew the curtain of ivy apart and his breath hitched as memories stuck his mind. Open, endless skies with crows flying in them, and the immortal dance of wheat-fields. In the distance, there was a cottage; and he knew it was his.</p><p>He stepped out and with lanky, hesitating steps, he walked home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>4</strong>
</p><p>“Baekhyun… is dead?” Jongdae’s voice sounded alien to Chanyeol’s ear. They were all sitting in the same room, and the taller boy had just finished recounting everything – and that meant <em>everything. </em>His friends were surprised. They had an idea that both of them were involved in something deep, something illegal, but who could have ever known just how <em>big </em>this was going to be? Chanyeol hadn’t known either.</p><p>He shook his head, “I don’t know, Dae. He erupted into light.” His voice choked up for the millionth time and Sehun patted his back again, trying to calm him down, but Chanyeol couldn’t <em>calm down. </em>He was angry, furious, and devastated.</p><p>Minseok broke the silence, “I don’t think he’s dead, then.”</p><p>All eyes were on him.</p><p>The eldest of them grit his teeth, “It’s a cycle, isn’t it? It is a messed-up cycle that’s been reset.” Chanyeol contemplated his words, but his mind just couldn’t think. Every thought involved him; and for the first time, Chanyeol feared him. Thankfully, they had two kids from Historia, who instinctively relied on their thoughts.</p><p>Sehun spoke, “I get it. So…Elijah – that is, Baekhyun – tries to kill Viscaris – Chanyeol – for taking away Aurora from him. But before he could succeed, Aurora kills him, and Chanyeol is also the one playing the role of Aurora.” Chanyeol let out a helpless sob. He was tired. People were controlling him, there were titles on his head, weights on his shoulder, and in the never-ending dark tunnel in front of him, there was on light, “Chan, it’s okay. He won’t be dead. We’ll find him.”</p><p>Jongdae nodded, “Definitely. Let’s go back to the story – you said Aurora <em>drowns </em>Elijah, right? And he dies in the ocean. Most probably, she stabbed him, but he didn’t die, so she drowned him. The thing is – Baekhyun wasn’t drowned. So, he must be alive.”</p><p>That gave Chanyeol some hope, but at the same time, he was hopeless, “Then, where is he?”</p><p>Yixing’s eyes were downcast, “We’ll come to know. Baekhyun is strong, and so are you. Just like you found your way home, he’ll find his way home too.”</p><p>Their words were comforting, but another fear struck his heart. Just a few days back, Baekhyun had said <em>- I am an orphan, and people like me…don’t belong anywhere</em>. Chanyeol was at his physical home. But where would Baekhyun go? The fear must have been distinct in his eyes, because Jongin asked –</p><p>“What are you thinking?”</p><p>Chanyeol looked at them with red, tired eyes, “That, maybe, Baekhyun might not return to us, even if he’s alive. Maybe, he’ll not want to leave home.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>He placed one foot in front of the other. <em>Just one more, </em>he told himself, as he made it the edge of the fields. The cottage stood in front of him. His minds flashed with images of him moving around the place, holding a kite, running towards the sky. This was it. This was <em>home. </em>A lady stepped out of the cottage, and the winds held their breath as her pretty, blue eyes widened and she rushed forward –</p><p>“Baekhyun?”</p><p>As her little body, dressed in all black, wrapped around him, he sighed. Yes, his name was Baekhyun. And he was home. </p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Tuesday, 13 October (69 days left)</strong>
</p><p>Jongin barged into his room, with a rolled-up newspaper in his hand, “They found out.” Chanyeol didn’t ask any questions. There was plenty to discover for the people. He could just hope they hadn’t found something that could threaten their very presence in this very place - or at least, his, since Baekhyun was still missing. Jongin spread the newspaper on the bed, palming its creases away, and it was there for him to see on the front page:</p><p>
  <strong>Dark Magic Used by the Heir</strong>
</p><p>[13 Oct, 2020]</p><p>The Academy’s Investigation Team has found the drawers of student Byun Baekhyun, the heir of Aurora, still packed. There, the Team had come across Byun’s self-created wand, Aqua. Upon testing, the wand has been found to contain traces of dark magic. This information made the people of Crosswords upset and angry. The Peacemaker has yet to speak on the issue, however, the Second Assembly has decided to take away Byun’s goodwill points, thus he is no longer identified as a citizen. Information regarding the heirship would be brought to the people. As of now, Byun Baekhyun is still missing and authorities are alert and confident that they’ll catch him. </p><p>[Reporter: Arthus Cornels]</p><p> </p><p>“No way,” Chanyeol said finally, “This can’t be happening.”</p><p> </p><p>Jongin shrugged, “Well, it is. And there’s nothing we can do about it.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol fell back onto the bed and pressed his hands to his face. His body quivered like a leaf left out in the cold, “No, <em>no</em>. It’s over. It’s all over.” Jongin placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his back and sat down next to him. For a moment, they let themselves be sad. Both their heads were probably filled with memories of Baekhyun. </p><p> </p><p>“He’s not gone anywhere, Yeol,” Jongin’s voice shook slightly, but as Chanyeol looked at him, he saw that the younger’s eyes were determined, boring holes into the opposite wall, “Baekhyun will come back. He...belongs with you, and I say that as a student of Aphrodite.” </p><p> </p><p>“Jongin, I…”</p><p> </p><p>The younger boy turned towards him, and squeezed his hands, “And you know it too. You want to belong to him, don’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>That hurt him more, “I miss him.” His voice was all sorts of choked up. Chanyeol rarely allowed himself to show his emotions, but now, he couldn’t do it anymore. He needed Baekhyun by his side to feel powerful. He needed the older boy to smile at him to get working again. Suddenly, the weight of all their <em>illegal </em>actions was upon him. He was crumbling, and only Baekhyun could pull him out.</p><p> </p><p>Jongin’s eyes were understanding, “I know, but -”</p><p> </p><p>“I know,” Chanyeol swallowed, “There’s nothing we can do about it.”</p><p> </p><p>Jongin pressed onto his hand again, “There’s nothing we could do about Baekhyun missing, except trust him, and wait for him. But, we could do more about the entire issue.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol looked up with sceptical eyes, “What do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>Jongin grinned, “We did a little research work while you were sulking, and got into contact with Kinnaras. Let’s meet him, should we?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sine sole sileo - Without the sun, I fall silent</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 17 October (65 days left)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was unsettled. </p><p> </p><p>The earth was pretty around him. The skies were lit up by the bright sun, and fluffy clouds shaded him from getting a sunburn - but, he had always preferred stormy skies. He wished to be like the birds that dove into the horizon, racing across the wheat-fields. In the distance, farmers tilled their fields, and people went about their work. But, Baekhyun felt lonely, as if he had lost a part of himself. Why? He was dressed in simple clothes, sitting on the soil, enjoying the beauty of nature, but the tolling of the bells still rang in his ears. He had never been one to ponder over his decisions - although, that’s what he supposed, since he didn’t really remember much about himself - but, he kept feeling like he should’ve gone right. </p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun, could you pull the weeds out from the back for me?” His mother, Aisha, shouted. He smiled at her, before shooting to his feet and racing to the back. That’s right, he didn’t remember much. He couldn’t answer his mother why he was covered with injuries, or why he had fainted in her arms that night. He couldn’t answer why he kept thinking about the tolling of the bells, why he didn’t remember any school or why he liked stormy skies more. </p><p> </p><p>He simply didn’t know. </p><p> </p><p>He sat on his haunches and held tightly onto the shoots of a weed. With his face scrunched, and body tilting back, he <em>pulled </em>onto the weed. His weakened body was gradually strengthening because of her mother, who had stopped at nothing to take care of him. She hadn’t asked him many questions, but he knew she prayed for him every day. Suddenly, there was a ‘whoosh’ and Baekhyun’s head slammed against the ground. </p><p> </p><p>“Ow…” He muttered, rubbing his head as he sat up. In his hands, he held the weed, rooted out - that brought him a little satisfaction. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay?” Aisha’s voice called out to him. He shouted back a ‘yes!’ He tried to get up when his eyes landed on something strange. The metal band he wore on his scraped bleeding wrist was gleaming with light. He took it off and inspected it closely - the rings holding the bracelet together were broken, and <em>light </em>spilt out of the object which shook lightly. Baekhyun wasn’t afraid. He didn’t shout. Instead, he watched with conflicted feelings as the light grew until he was watching an image.</p><p> </p><p>It was him - a younger him, sitting in the fields just like today. The skies were bright that day too. The younger Baekhyun was bored, with glazed eyes. He picked out an object, a rod about half the length of his arm, made of blackwood with crystalline shoots - <em>wait, how did he know about the blackwood? </em>- and somehow, he knew it was called Luna. The younger Baekhyun muttered quick words, and the soil shifted around. Baekhyun squinted his eyes, trying to figure out what was happening. His heartbeat fastened, racing against time - this was it. This would answer his questions. The shapes on the soil spelt out two words, and something struck home as Baekhyun read them:</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Park Chanyeol. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes widened. Images flashed in his mind. He was a young boy, probably ten, and a chubby boy with a dimple on his cheek was smiling at him, offering him a hand - </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Hey, Baekhyun. Would you like to officially be my best friend?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was tiny and thin. He had held onto that hand and grinned with all his twenty-five teeth. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I’d love to! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He was in second-year, then. That’s right, he went to a school, and Chanyeol was next to him, helping him study and understand the world around him. They were sitting near the edge of the Lake of Luck. </p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun looked comical, “Dragons are so cool! I want to ride one.”</p><p> </p><p>Minseok, a third-year student then, snorted next to him, “Boys who like flowers can’t.” Baekhyun had pouted, feeling his heart deflate - </p><p> </p><p>“Really?”</p><p> </p><p>Next to him, Park Chanyeol, who was as always disinterested in most conversations, worked on something with his utmost concentration. He frowned at Minseok’s comment - </p><p> </p><p>“That’s not true.” He showed Minseok his tongue, and the elder boy frowned at them, before running away. Baekhyun gasped -</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol, that’s not very nice!” </p><p> </p><p>The boy just shrugged, and moved towards him, hiding something behind his hands, “Well, what he did wasn’t very nice, either.” He took out the object from behind him, and Baekhyun’s jaw dropped to the floor. It was a flower crown, interwoven with Baekhyun’s favourite flowers, Heathers, and Chanyeol’s favourite flowers, Iris. He smiled brightly as the boy placed it gently on his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Now,” Chanyeol whispered, their eyes captivated by each other, “You could ride upon dragons, with me.”</p><p> </p><p>With you. </p><p> </p><p>More images flashed by, and Baekhyun stood very still. Chanyeol was his home, that’s where he had to go, but he couldn’t move. His heart was light, and heavy at the same time. A hand was placed on his shoulders, and Baekhyun looked up through his lashes to see Aisha smiling down at him - </p><p> </p><p>“You have to go,” her voice was so soft, “He’s waiting for you.”</p><p> </p><p>Shakily, Baekhyun got up, leaning on her. She guided him back to the cottage, and Baekhyun just observed her. The cloth on her face had dipped a little, revealing the freckles on her cheeks, catching the bright sunlight. She pulled him to the cottage, and handed him a long object made of dark wood - </p><p> </p><p>“My wand.” He whispered, holding the object closer to him, hesitating, “I - mother, I -”</p><p> </p><p>“It was in your pocket when you passed out,” She said, “Dress up, and I’ll pack you a meal. Head over to the abandoned railway station, and you have to say ‘aut viam inveniam-’” </p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun interrupted her, “I shall either find a way, or create one,” his lips tugged up, but his eyes glanced down, “I remember.”</p><p> </p><p>She sighed, then, “You know I’m proud of you, right? You’re facing a lot, I know that. But, my son was born to be a hero. But, there’s just one promise you will make to me.” </p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun looked up, then, “What is it?” Aisha had never asked him for anything before, and he was more than willing to fulfil any wish of her. He could be a hero for the rest of the world, but for his mother, he wanted to be a good son. </p><p> </p><p>She smiled, but a tear slipped out of his eyes anyway, “Promise me, after everything is over, you will return home in good health with your friends and the person you care for.” Baekhyun’s heart soared. He had never brought up the issue of not being straight with his religious mother, but of course, she had known. The look on his face gave it all away - </p><p> </p><p>“Be happy, Baekhyun.”</p><p> </p><p>He hugged her, and as his body quivered lightly, he knew - blood wasn’t thicker than his love for this woman. Whatever happened, he’d never forget this place. </p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“So… you’re telling me he may or may not have his memories?” </p><p>Chanyeol couldn’t believe this, couldn’t believe he was still sitting here, listening to this bullshit and not sobbing loudly for the rest of his life and burying himself into his pillow. Jongdae gave him a look - </p><p>“That’s exactly what he’s been saying for the past hour, thanks for noticing.” He couldn’t even <em>comprehend </em>how they were all being so calm about it all - </p><p>“He might not even remember <em>me </em>when he sees me, and you guys are eating rice cakes? Give them back to me, they’re his favourite!” He stood up, trying to grab the cake from Minseok but the elder boy summoned an icicle - </p><p>“Suck this, and calm down.” Minseok continued to munch on his cake, and Chanyeol now had an icicle in hand. He groaned, before leaning back onto the couch. Baekhyun might not remember him, maybe, he won’t even <em>know </em>he loves rice cakes. A sob built up in his chest and just as it escaped, Kyungsoo whacked him on the bed, and instead of heartfelt tears, he erupted into a coughing fit -</p><p>“Shut it, Park. Professor also said that he’d probably gain his memories quick,” Kyungsoo stated, “Stop overreacting, damn it.” </p><p>But, Chanyeol couldn’t, “You don’t understand.”</p><p>“Yeah, you’re in love with him, we get it,” Sehun said, “It was endearing but now, it’s getting annoying. Get your mind working in order.” When Chanyeol didn’t say anything, Sehun leaned into Jongdae, “I swear Aphrodite kids are so stupid.”</p><p>“Hey!” Jongin protested.</p><p>“What?” Kyungsoo challenged, “You are stupid.”</p><p>Jongin backed away, “Okay, maybe, I’m a little clueless…”</p><p>“You guys are awful,” Chanyeol said, trying not to sob but failing horribly, “I want Baekhyun!” Everybody rolled their eyes at him. Nobody was used to this Chanyeol, and nobody liked him. Jongdae straightened up -</p><p>“Whatever,” he turned to Kinnaras, “Professor, tell us more.”</p><p>The old guy shrugged, “Sadly, that’s all I know. But, Park, you don't need to worry much. It’s a cycle, like I said, and unless you kill him after the winter solstice, we can trust the boy to be alive.”</p><p>“That’s not the point…” </p><p>Yixing slammed his hands on the table, “Then, would you rather prefer him dead?”</p><p>Everybody silenced down. Yixing never really raised his voice. Minseok held onto his sleeve, “Hey, that was a bit harsh. You have to understand his situation-”</p><p>“I <em>try,</em> believe me, I try to. I told Baekhyun that day to tell us about what’s bothering them, but no, they’ve got to try and tackle everything by themselves. You guys have been keeping everything from us, and suddenly, something goes wrong, and you’re completely dependent on us, and we’re trying our best but that’s just not enough, and when Baekhyun comes back, you will again do your thing and we will be left in the dark until one of you die again. Is this what friendship means to you?”</p><p>Nobody said anything, for the truth, could never be countered with lies. Chanyeol hung his head in shame. That’s right, he’s mostly dependent on Baekhyun for most things. It had always been Baekhyun for him, first and foremost.</p><p>“I don’t want to be ‘that friend’ Chanyeol, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but you didn’t meet us once throughout the entire summer vacation. It feels like if it weren’t for Baekhyun, you wouldn’t even glance at us.” That was not right, “But, even if that is that for you, it’s not that way for us.”</p><p>He looked up, “Yixing, I - I’m sorry. That’s not true. I just… don’t know, don’t like leaning on other people. I just go with the flow, you know, I don’t like bringing up problems or voicing my thoughts. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Junmyeon cut the conversation, “We’ll talk about this later,” he gave both of them pointed looks, “First, we need to make sure when Baekhyun returns, he’d be safe.”</p><p>“And how are we doing that?” Minseok raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“If he was in Crosswords, someone must have found him by now. He must’ve been injured too, like Chanyeol was. So, I think, he’s <em>not </em>at Crosswords, but on Earth, and there aren’t many portals - and all of them cut through the forests,” Junmyeon explained.</p><p>“So, what is the plan?” Jongin asked.</p><p>It was Kyungsoo who answered, “There’s an elderly tree spirit. We’ll visit her, and ask her to keep the heir safe, for he is innocent,” he turned to Chanyeol, and smiled at him, “It’s going to be fine, okay? We’ll meet Ivy.”</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Home - Domus</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>When he stepped out of the cave, the air was knocked out of his lungs like every other time. The dirt road, the forest, the city. It was beautiful. But, the air was heavy, as if the entire valley was holding its breath before the climax of a movie. Baekhyun walked down, footsteps hesitant, just as they had been the first time he had climbed down. Fairies spotted him - he had expected them to raise alarms, but they didn’t. They came closer - </p><p>“The Bringer of Light! You’re alive!” There was relief in their voices and they led him to the familiar clearing. He paused as spirits diffused out of the trees, and held his breath as Ivy stepped forward, as elegant as ever. Every step of hers caused his heart to hammer. Would she be upset? Would she call him a traitor? That, of course, went by the assumption that they had found out it was him. He didn’t know about Chanyeol, but he hoped the taller boy was <em>safe. </em></p><p>“Baekhyun,” she said, just his name. </p><p>He raised his trembling chin, “Yes?”</p><p>A grateful smile swept across her face, “You’re safe. I can’t believe it, you’re safe. When the lights flickered out for a moment, we were afraid, and the spirits communicated quickly with the Weary Woods...but it was too late. You were gone.” A green tear slipped down her face, “However, yesterday, the lights came back. You had decided to come home.”</p><p>Something rose in his chest. He raced forward and embraced Ivy in his arms. She smelt of the earth, and he was fine with that. When they parted, she patted his head, “Your friend, Chanyeol, is alive.”</p><p>Baekhyun let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, “How is he? Is he fine?”</p><p>“It would be better if you asked him yourself. We’ve already sent him a message.” He felt high on happiness, so he giggled - </p><p>“Really? Oh my god, I’m so… I don’t know.” He had no words to say, but suddenly, his demeanour darkened, “Wait, tell me what happened after that day.”</p><p>The red-tree spirit answered him, “They found out, Bringer of Light. You’ve been banished from the Kingdom. You’re no longer considered an Aurorian.” </p><p><em>Ah.</em> </p><p>Here it was. </p><p>That hurt more than he had thought it would. The happiness he had felt crumbled to dust. Sometimes, Baekhyun felt like he kept racing from one cloud to another, but all of them were just air… and he would crash to the ground. There was no place he could go to, no place he could just exist in.</p><p>“What if they find out I’m here?”</p><p>“They’d capture you,” Ivy said, “But, we’ll try our best to protect you. The Western Woods are safe. The tree spirits are with you.”</p><p>That gave him hope - it was like lighting a matchstick in the dark, cold night. That was the best that he could take right now. He should learn not to be too greedy. Harbouring expectations only led to more despair. </p><p>And honestly, he was laden under way too much of despair already. </p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The tree spirits led him to a shelter, a cave-like place, where he could stay until further decisions could be taken. They had nice intentions, and just wanted him to relax but the cave only brought horrible memories. By then, Baekhyun remembered everything, and he wasn't sure if he liked that or not. But then, Chanyeol had told him that the bliss that came with ignorance wasn't one that should be celebrated. The younger boy stuck to his ideal, and Baekhyun believed him too.</p><p> </p><p>A cot of leaves was placed in the cave, and he sat upon it, lost in thoughts, until he heard sounds from outside. He stood up, already on guard. The incident had made him more reactive to everything around him, and Baekhyun was going to use it to his strengths. Footsteps neared his cave, and he stood back in the dark, so that the stranger would not see him, but then, the afternoon sun graced the body of nobody other than his tall, nerdy best-friend, Park Chanyeol.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun dropped his stance. Chanyeol rushed into the cave, but then, he paused as if he had just remembered something. Baekhynu frowned at that, but before he could say a word, Chanyeol awkwardly scratched his nape -</p><p> </p><p>"So, uhm, you probably don't remember me, right now," his eyes didn't leave the ground, "But, I'm Park Chanyeol. We are - uh - best friends. I'm just happy you remembered this place and came back..." He couldn't continue, and slowly, it registered in Baekhyun's brain: <em>he thinks I don't remember him. </em>For a moment, he was impressed that the taller boy managed to guess that he had lost his memories, but then, he looked at Chanyeol’s wobbly chin and realized he had to clear this misunderstanding <em>fast.</em></p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Chanyeol," Baekhyun stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Chanyeol's arm, "You dummy, I remember you."</p><p> </p><p>The way Chanyeol's eyes bounced up was comical, but Baekhyun didn't laugh... because Chanyeol's eyes had watered, glimmering in the dark cave. His hands grabbed Baekhyun's body, engulfing him in a warm, pure hug. Baekhyun's body immediately relaxed in the hold, and every troubling thought left his mind. He wasn't unsettled now, there was nothing else he was looking forward to.</p><p> </p><p>It was all fine.</p><p> </p><p>He was home.</p><p> </p><p>"I - I missed you, so much. I <em>hated </em>myself, every day for what happened that day. I can't do anything without you, Baek." Chanyeol was sobbing into his shoulders, and Baekhyun held him tighter, trying to let him know he felt the same. The words sobered him up and made him feel high at the same time. It hurt to know that Chanyeol was hurting, but it was pleasing to know he wasn't the only one hurting, "And it made me realize that... I sincerely, want you by my side at all times."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol peeled away, keeping him at a short distance, and looking into his eyes. Baekhyun knew what he was trying to convey. Chanyeol had never been very cryptic with his emotions, he'd been vocal about what he felt, what he liked or disliked. And, it was obvious in his face - in those hazel-flecked eyes, in the firm determined lines on his forehead. Baekhyun knew the words he was going to speak, before they were out of his pretty, thick lips -</p><p> </p><p>"May I kiss you?"</p><p> </p><p>Time. Once before, Chanyeol had asked him what he thought of the time, and they had given their opinions. But, now he knew, time wasn't what he had thought. It wasn't an undertone, no, it was a <em>tease. </em>For suddenly, everything had slowed down to a silent, throbbing beat. Compared to that, Baekhyun's heartbeat was a whirlwind, constant and quick. The light caught onto Chanyeol's hair, there was a glimpse of hesitance in his eyes, and Baekhyun wanted to remove that. A tongue sneaked out of Chanyeol's lips, and wetted them, and Baekhyun found his voice -</p><p> </p><p>"You may."</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, like the tease that time was, it fastened and they were kissing. Chanyeol's lips were on Baekhyun's. It was nothing adventurous, they were merely tasting, rubbing, and feeling the shape of each other's lips. Chanyeol's lips tasted dusty, buttery and salty, and it was a strange taste, but it was already Baekhyun's favourite. His hands tightly grasped Baekhyun's waist, while Baekhyun's own wound around his neck, leaning on his toes.</p><p> </p><p>It was perfect - the way they fit as if they were made for each other.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol picked away a loose strand of hair from Baekhyun's forehead, and held him closer, deepening the kiss. Baekhyun was willing, he hadn't known how long he wanted this, how long he had run away from his feelings. He couldn't count, he didn't want to - not with the way Chanyeol's tongue prodded on his lips, and flicked onto his palate, before brushing against his own.</p><p> </p><p>It was sensual, slow and speedy, at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>They parted for breath, and Baekhyun chuckled; Chanyeol was close enough to taste his breath, and the taller boy leaned in again, going deeper this time. Baekhyun clung onto him, as Chanyeol's tongue hesitantly brushed against his teeth. It was a first for them, and it was beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>They parted again, and a strong happiness washed over Baekhyun. He dropped his face against Chanyeol's, just breathing into their smell, their taste, a string of saliva connecting them. It was nice and comforting. His heart seemed to have settled in a warm pool of butter, sinking in deeper into this outwardly feeling. He wanted to speak - speak tons until the sun went down, and the skies were shining with thousands of colourful stars put up for them. Even then, he wouldn't stop.</p><p> </p><p>But, he just couldn't stop smiling, and laughing <em>and holy shit, he had just kissed Park Chanyeol, </em>and it was the best thing ever. He took a glance at Chanyeol, and the taller boy seemed to be feeling the same emotions. His eyes were glazed, and lost and he just stuck closer to Baekhyun, but when he noticed Baekhyun staring at him, he cupped his face and smiled -</p><p> </p><p>"Did you enjoy it?"</p><p> </p><p>"Very." Baekhyun's voice came out raspier than it was because of the kiss - the <em>best </em>kiss, and he didn't care if that was just his first. He'd get many more kisses.</p><p> </p><p>"Then..." Chanyeol shuffled his legs, before notching an eyebrow - Baekhyun could see he was trying to be confident, it was cute - "Would you like me to kiss you more... on a casual basis?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun smiled. It was a cute way of asking someone out, but it wasn't perfect, "Like, friends-with-benefits?" He blinked innocently, and Chanyeol's hands immediately came up -</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, no, no. Not like that..." He muttered underneath his breath, "If that's what you want to settle at, I am fine with it."</p><p> </p><p>"So," Baekhyun stepped back, "There's no higher deal I could grab?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol blushed, as he realized what Baekhyun was playing at, "Yah, you stop teasing me, Baek."</p><p> </p><p>"Come on, nerd. I expected a better proposal."</p><p> </p><p>"Fine, I'll give it to you," Chanyeol said, before bringing him closer, "But, first I need to make sure I'm not making a mistake."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun tilted his face up, "And how are you going to do that?"</p><p> </p><p>The skies were light, when Chanyeol booped his nose, and answered with the widest grin on his face, "By kissing you, of course, dummy."</p><p> </p><p>And, there goes Baekhyun's second kiss.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol," Baekhyun peeled his eyes from the dark sky littered with millions of colourful stars, and turned it towards his very own star, "I like this."</p><p> </p><p>They had tons to do, but for today, they were going to involve themselves in the activity of doing absolutely nothing. They lay on a top hill, with a warm blanket wrapped around the both of them, and watched the sky. The stars made them feel small, and their problems smaller, but their hands tightly clasping each other fueled a fire inside their hearts, and that made him feel important, and kept them warm.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol squeezed his hand, before pulling him closer, so that they were weirdly tangled up, "It's better now."</p><p> </p><p>"You're cheesy."</p><p> </p><p>"You like cheese."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun smiled as he elbowed Chanyeol in the gut, before rolling around - completely messing up the blankets - so that he was on top of Chanyeol, staring at the little moles on his chin, the dimple in his face, the long lashes that framed his cheeks. The blankets were twisted in a way that none of them could move, and they weren't <em>trying </em>to. Chanyeol's arms, which were out of the blanket because of their extra-large size - held the Baekhyun-blanket cocoon tightly.</p><p> </p><p>"I'd say, this is damn nice after getting maimed in the stomach," Baekhyun giggled, "It feels like Misery is giving me compensation." Chanyeol smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He was still sensitive about the 'maiming in the stomach' part, "Hey, that wasn't you, nerd. It was the deities messing around. You did absolutely <em>nothing </em>wrong."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol's hand wove into his hair, massaging it, and tingles went down his back. It was relaxing and therapeutic.</p><p> </p><p>"Hmm," he mumbled, pleased, "That feels nice."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol didn't stop until Baekhyun's head was lying on his chest, just a wink away from slumber, "I was there. I could watch everything, you know, but I couldn't control it. The way my body moved, the words I said, the utter fire that took over me. All I remember is pain - of every kind," he paused the motions, and let out a humourless chuckle, "It felt like Viscaris and I were bonded together on one matter, and that was the <em>pain.</em>"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun shivered, nuzzling his nose in the dip of Chanyeol's throat, "It's going to be okay..." His words sounded empty, but there was nothing he could say that would <em>make </em>that pain disappear. He was placed on the battleground without a weapon.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol kissed the crown of his head, "You're mine, now."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun nodded with the little energy he had. The days leading up to this were tiring, and all he wanted to was to sleep soundly for fifteen hours, with Chanyeol by his side - even if that was selfish of him, he didn't ask for anything else. To return the forehead kiss, Baekhyun pressed his lips to whatever skin was presented in front of him, and whispered, "I love you..." that he was sure Chanyeol heard, before letting his eyelids drop.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I love you, too.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>asperæ facetiæ, ubi nimis ex vero traxere, acrem sui memoriam relinquunt - a bitter jest, when it comes to the truth, leaves a sharp sting behind it</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 19 October (63 days left)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"We can't bring Baekhyun to the city," Kyungsoo said, sitting cross-legged in the cave, "No matter how careful we are, it would still place him under considerable danger, and we shouldn't risk that."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol nodded, "I know. I don't want that to happen." He gave Baekhyun a pointed look. The boy had been protesting to be brought back to the city, but now, he stood no chance. Baekhyun shrugged -</p><p> </p><p>"Fine, we'll cross that plan out, but what do we do next? We're at a complete standstill." Nobody answered him. They didn't know how to proceed. Time was running out, but they had no destination or direction in mind.</p><p> </p><p>"Did you guys scan through the library?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes."</p><p> </p><p>"Did you complete the Aurorian Myth?"</p><p> </p><p>"Didn't we?"</p><p> </p><p>"Did you miss out at any point that the teachers told you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Did we?"</p><p> </p><p>Questions led to more questions, but rendered no answers. They sat in still silence, the sounds of the trees and birds loud in their ears. They were lost. Then, Junmyeon said -</p><p> </p><p>"The books!" He got up excitedly, "Did you guys open the books?"</p><p> </p><p><em>Books. </em>Baekhyun had completely forgotten about them. He turned towards Chanyeol, "It was in the library. What do we do now?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shook his head, "No, I brought them home. They're at my house. We'll have to get them, and try opening them at any cost."</p><p> </p><p>Jongin stood up, "I'll be back in a second." He squeezed his eyes shut, and a silvery-glow washer over him before <em>poof, </em>he was gone.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, how nice is it to have the power of teleportation," Minseok wrinkled his nose, as he fought with the silvery dust, "And how <em>inconvenient </em>it is for us." Unlike what people thought, Jongin couldn't just teleport anywhere. He'd have to think about the place, and summon his energy. And the process was loud and left silvery dust all around.</p><p> </p><p>Right when Minseok was done cleaning, there was another <em>poof, </em>and Jongin stood there, shaking his head like a dog, as newly appeared silver dust fell off his clothes. Yixing chuckled -</p><p> </p><p>"Looks like cleaning is in your fate, Minseok."</p><p> </p><p>Nobody commented. They didn't want to face Minseok's wrath.</p><p> </p><p>Jongin held his arm out, "Here are the books." Baekhyun grabbed the familiar, untitled book and turned it up and down -</p><p> </p><p>"I still don't have any idea how to open it," he admitted, "All I know is that this book belongs to Elijah, the Guardian, and Chanyeol's book belongs to Aurora... and there's a lock."</p><p> </p><p>They all pondered for a while in the circle when Sehun said, "It doesn't have a title?"</p><p> </p><p>"No."</p><p> </p><p>"Isn't that strange?" He leaned in, "All books have titles."</p><p> </p><p>Jongin licked his lips, "What <em>I </em>find strange is that Elan told you that there was no library yet the school gave you these books."</p><p> </p><p>"This magic belongs to the school, not the headmaster," Chanyeol corrected him, "It's not in Elan's hands."</p><p> </p><p>"Yet," Jongin mused, "Don't you think he would've tried to stop you from getting the book?"</p><p> </p><p>"Why would he even want to stop you?" Junmyeon added one of his questions too. Baekhyun felt dizzy with all these questions. Something rang in his mind. It felt like he had skipped over <em>one </em>important detail.</p><p> </p><p>"I keep thinking about that too," Kyungsoo darted his eyes around, "He's the Peacemaker, and this is supposed to bring <em>peace</em>, isn't it? You guys are trying to calm the spirits of the deities, and that would stop whatever war is happening, so he should've tried to help you, but why didn't he?"</p><p> </p><p>Alarm bells blared in his mind. Everything shouted at him to stop and think. There were some details... some <em>tiny, little </em>details. The memories - every incident that had led to this - flashed into his mind. From casting the dark chant, to fainting that day, to the Control Classes -</p><p> </p><p>- <em>wait.</em></p><p> </p><p><em>"</em>Junmyeon," his eyes directly sought out the boy, and everybody else quietened down, "Kim Heechul... is your cousin, right?"</p><p> </p><p>Junmyeon frowned, "Yes, he is."</p><p> </p><p>"What are his credentials? No, just tell me about his profile."</p><p> </p><p>Junmyeon was taken aback, but he answered him, "Uh - well, he was a Cursebreaker on Earth, but then, he had an unfortunate accident and injured his legs, so he came back and started teaching basic combat chants in the Academy, since you have to take that as a minor to step out in that field. Yoora was the one who replaced him," he hesitated, "Since he's been deported, he's quite sad. Elan assigns him doable tasks and minor curse-breaking to keep him entertained, but he wants to head back to the field."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun took in a deep breath, "I think I've got it."</p><p> </p><p>Everybody straightened up, all eyes and ears on him.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know why I never thought much of it. Elan assigned Heechul to teach me Control Chants, when Heechul is a Combat teacher. We study Control Chants in Nature, Healing and Advanced Chants, right? These classes are taken by the trees and pixies - and they don't work under any human being. Professor Grendel would've been the next choice, but she's very close to me, but Kim Heechul - he has a weakness," Baekhyun paused. He couldn't believe how messed up it all was. "The books were given to me by the magic the founders of the Academy had cast, and they believed in knowledge being the only thing, but then, why would they give me half-assed information?"</p><p> </p><p>"So," Chanyeol started; there was a glimmer in his eyes that appeared when he solved a difficult math sum, "What you're implying is that someone tampered with the books?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes," Baekhyun breathed, "They can't stop the books from reaching us, but they can stop the information from reaching us. Look at the books, Chanyeol. We're stupid. The books are old, but the locks - they were never old."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol's jaw dropped, and Baekhyun could <em>see </em>as the dots connected in his head, "Holy Elan. Why didn't I ever see that?" The rest of their friends shuffled to take a look, and expressed similar thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>"One more thing," Baekhyun rubbed his nape awkwardly.</p><p> </p><p>Kyungsoo laughed in delight, "You should become a detective, Byun."</p><p> </p><p>He smiled at that, "It would be fun. Anyway, Sehun said that the book doesn't have a title - and that is strange. In Chanyeol's book, the words are written by something that Elan couldn't have erased -"</p><p> </p><p>"Blood." Chanyeol announced, "Don't freak out, but it is actual blood."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun gulped, "I suppose she was really twisted, you know? And Elijah wasn't. So, the title must've been hidden by magic - maybe, it gives something away. Something important." There was silence for a short while before Junmyeon said -</p><p> </p><p>"Heechul must've done it." His eyes dropped down, "I can't believe this. I need to talk to him-"</p><p> </p><p>"Don't bother," Baekhyun said, "He must've not had a clue about how big this was. I doubt Elan would want anybody to know much," he spat. He was angry, and he was bitter with the man who was supposedly his 'father.'</p><p> </p><p>"Do you think he knew that Chanyeol was the legitimate heir?" Minseok asked, darting his eyes from Chanyeol to Baekhyun, before raising his hands, "I don't mean to offend -"</p><p> </p><p>"He must have," Baekhyun stared at the wall of the cave, thinking through the words Elan had told him - for, there weren't any memorable actions he'd shown, "And don't worry about it. The truth needs to be told."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was staring at him, with a far-away look in his eyes, and when Sehun asked, "Why did he lie about it?" Chanyeol knew the answer -</p><p> </p><p>"Because he cared about Baekhyun."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun whipped his head towards him, "Excuse me?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shuffled his hands, and let out a sigh, "Look, I know you're hurt by the web of lies he'd woven and kept you under, but he did it for you." At Baekhyun's expression, he elaborated, "Sometimes, it is better to choose peace over justice. Does that sound familiar?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun blinked. It did. It was a constant thought in his own mind.</p><p> </p><p>"Elan probably had similar thoughts. By giving you the title of the mysterious heir, Aurorians warmed up to a boy who wasn't raised in Crosswords. You were able to study, eat, drink, make friends, and be happy - because the people accepted you as the heir," Chanyeol's eyes never left the floor. The things he was saying - it was probably too intrusive because even after being Byun Baekhyun's best friend for five years and being his lover for a day, this was something Baekhyun stashed deep inside his heart, in a place of complete darkness. It hurt the boy to admit that he didn't belong to a world. "And once, he lied for the first time... he had to keep lying to everybody, going to extents that resulted in you getting <em>hurt </em>like... like that day-" he couldn't speak anymore, breaking off in tears.</p><p> </p><p>There were nine boys, a thousand trees, and many beings, but all of them quietened down and let the painful silence wash over them.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Unitas mirabile vinculum - The wonderful bond of unity</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>"I'm disgraced to be in the Aphrodite House," Chanyeol slumped on the couch and buried his face into his hands, "How did I mess up a relationship <em>a day </em>after it started?"</p><p> </p><p>Jongin ran his hand over Chanyeol's back, "Hey, you're overthinking. You guys are fine."</p><p> </p><p>"He didn't let me stay with him, Jongin. That has <em>never </em>happened before," Chanyeol looked at him, exasperated. When the sun had set, the others had expressed their desire to leave. After all, how far were they supposed to go when their parents had restrained them? But Chanyeol was determined not to leave Baekhyun... until the older boy had asked him to leave.</p><p> </p><p>"This whole arrangement is new, Chanyeol," Jongin spun his finger in the air, "He just needs some space to himself. Besides, he's right. You can't lie to your parents every day. If you want to protect him, you have to give him up a little."</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe he hates me," Chanyeol continued to muse, completely ignoring Jongin's sensible arguments, "Yes, that must be it."</p><p> </p><p>The tanned boy groaned, "Intelligent people are so stupid."</p><p> </p><p>"Is that a turn-off?"</p><p> </p><p>"-what?"</p><p> </p><p>"Nothing," Chanyeol turned his head away, staring at the ceiling, "On a serious note, was I too harsh?"</p><p> </p><p>Jongin sat up, an awkward crease on his face, "The Elan thing?"</p><p> </p><p>"Exactly that."</p><p> </p><p>Jongin sighed, looking at everything other than Chanyeol, "Honestly, it might have been a blow to Baekhyun, you know? He's probably confused and doesn't know what to think. And it doesn't help that you sounded so sure about everything. So far, we discussed theories... but you seemed to be stating facts," Jongin finally looked at him, "You know something."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol's eyes darkened a bit, "Is it obvious?"</p><p> </p><p>"Most people who know you would say yes," Jongin shrugged, "Tell me. How do you know?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol paused, and Jongin could see the gears turning in his mind. Then, Chanyeol's lips parted but before the first word could slip out, Minseok barged into the room -</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol!" The shorter man's eyes were blown, "Yoora is back."</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>Yoora sat on her chair in the dining room, the one that had been left empty for a long time. Chanyeol walked into the room, quickly hugging her, and whispering a quick "Welcome back," in her ears. She pulled back to smile at him, and immediately, he was struck with how different her face looked.</p><p> </p><p>Her skin was glowing without the addition of the cheap Marty-Butcher's make-up products she used to lather on her face. There was an angry cut under her eye, and light bruises on her neck. They were bare, presented to the world in their naked glory. She was proud of him, he realized, she had earned them and she wore them like medals on top of an armour.</p><p> </p><p>"You didn't even tell us you were coming back!" Chanyeol's mother expressed, jostling about in the kitchen, "Your dad would've gotten your favourite food."</p><p> </p><p>She laughed, "I wanted to surprise you guys." There was something in the way all of her smiles immediately reached her eyes. She had become a beautiful, young woman. "Honestly, I missed you guys too much," she admitted. Chanyeol's father was all smiles because his precious daughter was back. Chanyeol mirrored the look.</p><p> </p><p>"How long will your stay extend?" Chanyeol's father asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Yoora's smile disappeared, "Actually, I'm here for a long-term project, dad. There might be a war, and I need to make sure Crosswords is protected and safe." At everybody's gloomy expression, she continued, "Although, there is another reason."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol's mother gestured at her to continue.</p><p> </p><p>Yoora shuffled with her hands - Chanyeol smiled because it was a common habit they shared - "You guys remember I told you I had a boyfriend?"</p><p> </p><p>Immediately, there was delight on the faces of his mom and dad.</p><p> </p><p>"Well... we want to get married."</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Tuesday, 20 October (62 days left)</strong>
</p><p>Chanyeol sat in his room as the celebrations went on. After last night, Yoora's friends and batchmates had come to congratulate her. Her boyfriend was also present. He was a kind man, involved in the research work of some science. On any normal occasion, Chanyeol would've been excited to talk to him, and learn as much as he could.</p><p> </p><p>But today? There was no word from Baekhyun. Jongin and Kyungsoo had visited him with food and clothes, but the boy had mostly remained silent, and he had refused to see Chanyeol. Time was running out. December 21 would be upon them in no time, but that wasn't what Chanyeol was concerned about.</p><p> </p><p>He was worried about Baekhyun... about 'them.' And while watching Yoora be all lovey-dovey with her fiance was funny, it made his heart heavy.</p><p> </p><p>There was a knock on his door. "Come in," Chanyeol said, and the door opened to reveal Yoora. She looked as beautiful as ever, but there was a concerned expression on her face.</p><p> </p><p>"Is everything okay?" She asked, shutting the door and sitting beside him in the darkroom, "I thought you'd like my husband. He's prosperous in Science fields and -"</p><p> </p><p>"I like him," Chanyeol said quickly, "I trust your choice, and I'm really happy you're getting married to someone you love."</p><p> </p><p>"Then... why aren't you acting like it?" Yoora questioned, sounding deflated, "Did something happen?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol hesitated, "It's just-" his voice cracked, "A lot's on my plate, you know?" He willed his eyes to stay open, because he knew if he blinked, tears would seep out. The room was dark and he was grateful for it. Everything seemed to be testing Chanyeol, adding onto his shoulders, waiting until he erupted.</p><p> </p><p>Yoora tapped her wedges against the carpet-clad floor, "Mom said you've been quite out of it this year. You didn't go out of the house throughout summer, and you showed up a few weeks ago with injuries." She stopped tapping, and looked at him, "For a fact I know that Kinnaras wouldn't send you back home. He's not interested in doing things teachers should do."</p><p> </p><p>And that was correct. Kinnaras hadn't given much thought about Chanyeol's sleep schedule or other assignments, but that was just who he was. The teacher was very absorbed into his research and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.</p><p> </p><p>"So, what's wrong? You can tell me Chanyeol." She urged on, and he knew she wouldn't accept anything less than the truth. In that way, the Park siblings were very truth-driven.</p><p> </p><p>"Baekhyun," he stated his lover's name, "You probably know what happened to him."</p><p> </p><p>Yoora gazed down, "That's not something you could help. I know you feel betrayed by him and -"</p><p> </p><p>He shook his head, "There are tons of things going around, Yoora and the war isn't even the top worry."</p><p> </p><p>She narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"</p><p> </p><p>He cleared his throat, "Have you - uh - heard about the... Aurorian Myth?"</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Corgito ergo sum - I think, therefore I am</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>After long hours of conversation, the rising sun brought about a new decision.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll help you," Yoora picked the book up from his shelf, "If it can be cursed, then it can be opened. I just need to study it for a while..." She took the book to her study, struggling with it, and writing quick notes, muttering to herself about what chants could probably open the lock. Chanyeol shut her door and let her be. He had more things to worry about.</p><p> </p><p>Later that afternoon, the squad visited his house to check up on everything and meet Yoora.</p><p> </p><p>"Jongin," he called out in a timid voice, "Take me to Baekhyun. Please."</p><p> </p><p>Jongin's eyes immediately darted to the floor, "Oh - Baekhyun. Uh... he actually-"</p><p> </p><p>"Get to the point." Chanyeol glared at him.</p><p> </p><p>"See, the thing is..." the tanned boy sighed, "He doesn't want to see you."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol groaned, "Why not?"</p><p> </p><p>Jongin shrugged helplessly, "I don't know, Yeol. Kyungsoo wanted to tell him that he was being childish, but he seemed sad."</p><p> </p><p>"Take me to him," Chanyeol ordered, "Please Jongin, I know him. He's going to overthink everything and speak nothing, and it's going to be too much for him." <em>That's what he always does. </em>Chanyeol didn't say that, but his slight annoyance was conveyed. But this annoyance always disappeared quickly because it just meant that Baekhyun didn't trust him completely. He probably felt he was burdening Chanyeol when that was <em>not </em>the case.</p><p> </p><p>"Alright," Jongin finally agreed, "I'll take you there - in the evening though, because I teleported to Kinnaras' place again this morning, and I feel drained."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol frowned, "Did I miss out on something?"</p><p> </p><p>"No, not really. Other than a few teachers, he's the only one present there and Jongdae said it's better we keep updating ourselves on army positions," Jongin shrugged, "To be honest, Professor can't care less about this, but he does care about you, so he agreed. He said it's like studying the position of the stars." Chanyeol chuckled at that. A pleasant feeling brewed in his gut after he heard that Kinnaras cared about him -</p><p> </p><p>"I've quite left an impression on him, I suppose." He fixed his hair, straightened up, and walked towards the dining room, not before turning backwards and shouting, "But remember - this evening, okay?"</p><p> </p><p>Jongin nodded, an amused smile on his face, "This evening."</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Wednesday, 21 October (61 days left)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The sun hadn’t set, but the forest was shrouded in darker shades. It wasn't because of the huge canopy that covered the forest, but because the Bringer of Light hadn't stepped out of his cave for a long time. The trees felt his pain, and the forest remained grim. A surge of hurt hit Chanyeol. This was his fault.</p><p> </p><p>Jongin patted his shoulder, "Goodluck."</p><p> </p><p>He gave him a grateful smile, "Thank you."</p><p> </p><p>And in a silvery puff, Jongin was gone. The spot where he stood was empty, and that somehow made Chanyeol feel much lonelier. He looked at the cave, a tiny dash of light came out of it, and he decided that he'd fix this.</p><p> </p><p>Even if he wasn't strong enough to fix the whole world, for Baekhyun, he'd try.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun sat hunched on the edge of the cave, arms wrapped around his knees. He looked defeated. Baekhyun jerked as Chanyeol entered, and that made the taller boy pause.</p><p> </p><p>"It's me." His low voice echoed around the cave, and that somehow made it clear that they were <em>alone, </em>"Can I join you?" Before Baekhyun could say a word, Chanyeol took his seat, opposite Baekhyun, in the same position Baekhyun sat in. Neither of them said a word, and the since grew awkward and hurtful. In the past, they had never <em>shut </em>up, but now, things had changed.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol looked at the boy in front of him, awash with the moonlight. Baekhyun's face was pale, but that could be the dim light, and he wore no expressions, nothing Chanyeol could pick upon. His body language was closed off, and Chanyeol could find no niches.</p><p> </p><p>So, he decided to get directly to the topic at hand, "I'm sorry," he lowered his head, "My words that day were rather rash and sudden. I'm sure you were surprised, but that's because I hadn't told you what Elan had told me. He'd made me swear, you know? It wasn't a magical bond, but... I respected his wishes. I'm sorry if that made you feel like you're on your own - when that's not the truth." It was getting harder to get the words out. He felt like he was shooting blind arrows. Baekhyun still gave no reaction. "He'd called me one day, remember? And he'd told me the truth. He doesn't care much about me, or the people - but he does care about the power, and he cares about <em>you.</em>" Chanyeol stopped speaking, not sure whether he should continue or not.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun still didn't speak a word. His silence was a constant knife that embedded itself deeper and deeper into Chanyeol's heart. The taller boy sighed, not able to hide his evident disappointment -</p><p> </p><p>"Baek-"</p><p> </p><p>"Am I being childish?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol looked up immediately, his heart beating quicker because Baekhyun <em>spoke, </em>"Huh, what?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun raised his head too. His eyes shone in the darkness - Chanyeol later realized they were tears. He was <em>crying.</em></p><p> </p><p>"Am I... being childish? Or annoying?" His voice cracked, "Don't lie to me, please."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shook his head, "No, Baek. You're not. Why would you think that?" Kyungsoo thought Baekhyun was being childish, but that was because Kyungsoo couldn't <em>understand. </em>But, Chanyeol - he won't cast Baekhyun's feelings as 'childish.' He'd try to understand - it was the least he could do.</p><p> </p><p>"Because I'd be hurt to find out that he didn't care about me. But, I'm more hurt knowing that he cared all along, and I never found out," he buried his face into his hands, "I just feel so stupid and dumb. I thought half of the things that was wrong with me was because my 'father' didn't give a damn about me - but no. The reason why at least half of the things are right about me is because of him."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol's heart shattered a little as Baekhyun let out an angry sob, "Baek... it's -"</p><p> </p><p>"It's <em>not </em>okay!" Baekhyun shouted, angry tears flowing down his cheeks, "That's what everybody has been telling me, but no, it's not okay. How the fuck am I going to repay him? And yes, maybe this entire tantrum is childish, and I'm being bratty and making a big deal out of things but I can't help it!" Chanyeol moved closer to him, holding his hand as he continued, "And I - I'm sorry for being so shitty and not letting you in. I don't know why I did that - well, to be honest, I don't know why I do half the things I do." Chanyeol let out a chuckle at that, "But I just... didn't want you to see me like this, or tell me it's okay. It...hurts."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun looked up at him, and Chanyeol felt horribly helpless looking at his tear-stained face. There was nothing much he could do, except hold Baekhyun closer and bury his face into his neck. There, Baekhyun could cry as much as he wanted to, and Chanyeol would not let him go. So, that's what he did. Rubbing his hands on the shorter boy's back, he spoke softly -</p><p> </p><p>"And I wasn't going to say 'it's okay.'" He dropped a light kiss on Baekhyun's temple, "I wanted to say, 'It's going to be fine. I'll be beside you at every little stop we face.'"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun's lips tugged up into a smile - and even if Chanyeol couldn't see it, he knew it was beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>They sat against the cave walls and they talked. They talked about how life was in the past two days and Chanyeol told Baekhyun about Yoora and her husband.</p><p> </p><p>"You told her everything?" Baekhyun asked.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shrugged, "Well, not everything, but as much as she needed to know." He winked thrice. For a few seconds, Baekhyun stared at him with creased eyebrows before he broke out in laughter -</p><p> </p><p>"Oh my god, did you just attempt to wink? I thought you'd gotten an eye infection or something." Chanyeol wouldn't lie and say he wasn't offended, but a relationship was all about giving and taking... and he'd give this fight up for Baekhyun's laughter.</p><p> </p><p>Soon, they moved from trivial issues to more serious ones -</p><p> </p><p>"What did Elan tell you?" Baekhyun licked his lips, "Can I...know?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. There was a faraway look on his face, "I'll tell you if you insist but I think it's better that you hear it by Elan himself."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun juggled with the options in his head, "I guess... I'm way too emotionally overwhelmed to hear something <em>big, </em>right now. Maybe, a few days later?"</p><p> </p><p>"As you wish."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun snuggled into Chanyeol's side, "Doesn't it get hard? Carrying the burden of knowledge on your shoulders?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, you have no idea."</p><p> </p><p>Then, they were back to talking about random things, cuddled close into each other's heat when there was a silvery puff. When Chanyeol blinked the dust out of his eyes, he saw Jongin, Yoora, Jongdae and Sehun standing there. Yoora had the look of a maniac in her eyes. She stepped forward, her dress gown tattered and said -</p><p> </p><p>"I figured out how to open the locks."</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>They sat in a circle in the cave, much like they'd done a few days earlier, but this time, the audience was different. This time, they had more hope.</p><p> </p><p>"I thought about the chant you told me Professor Grendel had taught you, and I feel like that's the one used here," Yoora explained.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol frowned, "But there was no reversal chant."</p><p> </p><p>"There has to be one," Yoora insisted, "There is no chant which cannot be reversed Chanyeol, and that's the first rule of Cursebreaking."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun yelped and all eyes turned towards him, "She's right, Chanyeol! When I was back at home, I didn't remember anything. But then, I was pulling out a weed and my bracelet broke and we had enchanted them, right? The memory that I had stored in the bracelet started playing in front of me, and I remembered everything."</p><p> </p><p>Yoora's eyes were shining. She looked like an excited kid who had just solved her puzzle, "See? This lock can be broken."</p><p> </p><p>"Do we just..." Chanyeol grabbed the book and threw it across the cave with a grunt - nothing happened, "We've tried breaking the lock numerous times, Yoora. Fighting chants, cutting chants - everything."</p><p> </p><p>Yoora sat back, her face pensive, "Baekhyun, are you sure it just broke?"</p><p> </p><p>"Uh, yes?"</p><p> </p><p>"Nothing else happened?"</p><p> </p><p>"No, I mean I was a little hurt, but yeah." He thought about it before shaking his head, "That's it."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shuffled around his pocket, before he picked out a ring, "This is the ring I enchanted," he said, "Do you think we should try to break it?"</p><p> </p><p>For the next several minutes, they tried their best.</p><p> </p><p>"Baekhyun," Yoora sounded impatient, "Are you sure there's <em>nothing </em>special you did?"</p><p> </p><p>The boy pulled in onto himself, "Um, well, I didn't have my memory?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shook his head, "Logically, I don't think that's the answer."</p><p> </p><p>Sehun, who was sitting there and listening to their conversation, suddenly pointed out, "Baek, you said you got injured?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun blinked, "Yeah, I - I did. My wrist was scraped - the broken bracelet had probably rubbed way too hard against it. And um, my knees were hurt?" Chanyeol was giving him a concerned look, and that warmed his cheeks. He liked this - being doted over. The taller boy had always been doing it, but the fact that now, he was doing it as his <em>boyfriend - </em>it sent tingles down Baekhyun's back.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun sat silently for a few moments before his eyes lit up, "I got it!"</p><p> </p><p>Everybody turned towards him.</p><p> </p><p>"It's the blood." At everybody's confused looks, he continued, "One of the reasons why people aren't fond of Dark Chants is because of their blood-vows. Dark Chants are often related to blood, tears and even parts of your body - that's why they aren't 'innocent,' but they are much, much stronger than normal light chants. Our wands... they are bound to us by blood, aren't they?"</p><p> </p><p>Yoora snapped her fingers, "How did we miss that detail out? Sehun, you're a genius."</p><p> </p><p>"He has a genius switch," Jongdae corrected, "He only turns it on... like once a year.." They chuckled at that, but before they could recount moments where Sehun's switch was turned on, Yoora continued -</p><p> </p><p>"That means we need your blood, a little bit of it to open the locks."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun, who wasn't fond of shedding blood, asked, "But do we need our blood or the blood of the caster?"</p><p> </p><p>Yoora pulled back, as if the bubble of her excitement had popped, "Oh, well..." Before another round of sad silence could wash over them, Chanyeol came to their rescue -</p><p> </p><p>"But it doesn't hurt to try, right?"</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>"Just a little blood," Yoora repeated the words, as the chant was absorbed by Baekhyun's skin, and fresh, red blood seeped out of his forearm, "<em>Just </em>a little..."</p><p> </p><p>"Ow," Baekhyun complained, "It still hurts." Yoora just repeated her words, and Chanyeol gave him an encouraging smile - easy to give because he wasn't the one who was being experimented with - that Baekhyun didn't return. On the other side, Jongdae and Sehun cast one chant after the other on Baekhyun's locked book, trying to erase whatever chant was obscuring the title.</p><p> </p><p>"Boys, now bring his book over," Yoora commanded, and Sehun placed the book in front of her. Baekhyun hovered his arm above the book, and all of them watched as drops of blood fell onto the lock, sizzling when they reached the metal surface. They held their breaths, and the blood turned black. Baekhyun gasped, as the lock clicked and shone - just like it had that day - but instead of forming a screen, the white magic swirled and formed a huge hurricane.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Sounds came from the hurricane, bits and pieces of voices, half-spoken words, quick footsteps, the clanking of swords, a shout, more rushed words before it all dissipated into bubbles, the sound of drowning. They sat still, shocked to the core, breathing heavily as the hurricane passed.</p><p> </p><p>"The cycle will continue Aurora... until you make it right," Chanyeol gasped the words out, "That's the only thing I caught."</p><p>The words were very familiar to Baekhyun, embedded in his mind. He wished he had never regained their memory back, but it couldn’t be helped. He would have to face them, but every time he heard them, his heart ached. Elijah hurt inside him, and there was nothing he could do except bear the pain and hope for it to fade away. Sometimes, he would feel for Elijah. The poor man not only lost his love, but also lost his life and bore the pain of his beloved killing him, but then, he thought about Chanyeol and his <em>own </em>life and all the pain turned to an unexpressed rage - they had <em>ruined </em>his own life. </p><p>He was fuming inside, but all the thoughts vanished when he looked at the book that lay open - the lock was successfully off.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>"Should we... read it?" Chanyeol asked. Baekhyun didn't understand why they were hesitating but then he realized that they had absolutely no idea what the book would present. Their game plan could turn to dust, or the book could be enchanted and hurt them upon flipping the pages. There were endless possibilities.</p><p> </p><p>"One thing's for sure," Yoora said, "Whoever enchanted this knew about the entire Aurorian Myth, and understood Elijah. That's why he was able to summon his feelings."</p><p> </p><p>"We think it's Kim Heechul," Baekhyun said, "We don't have any solid clue, but it's our gut instinct."</p><p> </p><p>Yoora bit her lips, "I know, Chanyeol told me. I'm not really sure, but it could be him."</p><p> </p><p>"For now," Jongdae leaned in closer, experimentally closing and opening the cover of the page, "Let's read - guys, look!" Baekhyun scooted closer and his jaw dropped. The blood that had fallen over the cover was slowly mixing with a waxy chant-work on the cover, shimmering as the waxy coating dissolved into the blood. Little by little, there were shapes and symbols that they could see, coming to life.</p><p> </p><p>"What language is this?" Sehun frowned, pointing to the first visible word. Baekhyun frowned, trying to see in the dim light, before he said -</p><p> </p><p>"I - it's written in Veyshigi, and it says 'I'," Baekhyun explained, his eyes trailing as more and more words came into view. Sehun raised his eyebrows, and he sat there, slack-jawed -</p><p> </p><p>"I thought you were kidding about the foreign language part, no wait, most of it was bullshit to me," Sehun admitted, "And now, I'm just having a moment."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun chuckled, while Chanyeol shrugged, "Should've licked my words to your brain, brat."</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry for not being an Aphrodite like you," Sehun scrunched his nose, and blew raspberries towards Chanyeol, "My house says to believe in what you see."</p><p> </p><p>"That's why you won't fall in love," Chanyeol smirked, "I, sadly, can't relate." The indirect confession caused Baekhyun's cheeks to colour. He made a mental note to smack Chanyeol for having the worst confessions ever.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun shrugged, "Well, I can see that Junmyeon got a totally hot body, and I'm fine with that."</p><p> </p><p>Jongdae coughed, "Look, I know you guys are all new to this whole concept and extremely excited and shit, but we need to focus."</p><p> </p><p>"You sound older than Yoora," Chanyeol remarked, "And she's married."</p><p> </p><p>"I will get married while I'm young, Park. It's a beautiful thing. Anyway, focus now," Jongdae licked his lips, quickly changing the subject, "What does the title say?"</p><p> </p><p>By now, the title was visible, written in shaky white ink. Chanyeol read it out, "I, Elijah, the Guardian of Peace." Chills crept down Baekhyun's back as he came to terms that Elijah was the Guardian of Peace - thus, he was... "That's what it says." Chanyeol turned the first page, and they gasped to see a hand-written entry, in pure Veyshigi.</p><p> </p><p>"It's a journal of sorts," Sehun commented, eyes fixed onto the pages. All the pages started with the day and a short summary of events that happened. In the first many pages, it was just that - a simple journal, but after a while, the paragraphs became longer, the writing faster, not as neat. There were lots of cuts and edits, and random figures drawn in the margins -</p><p> </p><p>"He must've been troubled." Baekhyun couldn't quite understand what he felt. He knew that no matter how much Chanyeol pretested that he wasn't Elijah - a part of him was. There were some traits that he shared with Elijah, there had to be, since he was hosting his spirit. And a part of him - a tiny part - hurt as he saw the quick notes, the angry drawings. Bad decisions didn't arise from a single strike, no. Evil had to be eased into you, in small handfuls, tainting your purity and breaking down your mind. And only then, when you hate the self you see in the mirror, you will commit sins.</p><p> </p><p>The long, messy writing continued for a long time, and then, when they were approaching the ends of the book, the writing became shorter, limited to a few sentences. The handwriting was rushed, but it wasn't messy. It felt like Elijah had stopped trying to cheer himself up by penning down his emotions or drawing random objects. It's almost like...he had given up! Baekhyun couldn't help the disappointment, or the sympathy.</p><p> </p><p>The pages turned, until they came onto the last one - written by a darker, muddier shade that Baekhyun realized was blood. There was a single long line on the page, written in huge letters as if Elijah had used his own bloody hand to scribble whatever he could. Baekhyun read it out -</p><p> </p><p>"I cursed my lover and she's going to drown me, wish we both had just killed ourselves to save our love and our peace."</p><p> </p><p>They didn't say anything. They were all lost in thoughts, interpreting the last sentence. How could killing yourself save your love and peace? Why was peace or love even important? Baekhyun could almost hear the questions in everybody's head, and with a sudden struck sadness, he realized - they didn't understand.</p><p> </p><p>"I swear Elijah was overdramatic. This is still bullshit to me," Sehun stated, his classic no-expression face on. Jongdae shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>"It's not bullshit," Baekhyun protested, "It's just...complicated, you know. There's a lot of things here..." He gave up when nobody seemed interested. Chanyeol noticed his expression and countered -</p><p> </p><p>"Baekhyun understands this the best, because he's the most connected to Elijah, and come on, Sehun. If this thing is causing trouble centuries later and mass destruction, then it's not bullshit," Chanyeol argued. Baekhyun gave him a grateful smile for always having his back.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't understand why people always have huge wars for love," Sehun said in his defence, "From Trojan War to Mahabharata - all over deities and pawns and a runny version of 'love'." He blinked suddenly, "Wait, that's exactly your situation."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun chuckled, "Definitely. I'm honoured to be just a pawn."</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, I don't mean offence."</p><p> </p><p>"None taken," Baekhyun promised, "But I think I'd read through the book. The journals probably have more information than we've given weightage."</p><p> </p><p>"He's right," Chanyeol said, and put his arm out, "Now, shall we open my book?"</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The process was messy, but it was not as rewarding. The lock opened, only to reveal another lock inside the book. A sheet of metal was placed on the book, tied with some sort of magic and the surface was hollowed out in a particular shape.</p><p> </p><p>"Um, I think this one needs some object to be placed inside," Yoora said, "I've seen many mystical stuff like this."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol's shoulders deflated, "And what's that object?"</p><p> </p><p>"No clue."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun tried to cheer him up, "Hey, maybe the answer is in my book? I'd read it." The book had to be about a thousand-pages long, written in Veyshigi, and even if Baekhyun understood Veyshigi, that didn't mean it would be a walk in the park. Chanyeol must've realized that.</p><p> </p><p>"It's getting late," he muttered, "Yoora has to go home."</p><p> </p><p>Yoora gave him a tight-lipped smile, "He's right. Sehun and Jongdae have to leave too." Suddenly, a mischievous twinkle lit her eyes, "But Chanyeol could stay. We'd just tell mom he's staying with Sehun."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol nodded, "Yes, definitely. We could do that."</p><p> </p><p>Once the Park siblings set their mind to something, nobody could do anything except just go with the flow. Besides, who was Baekhyun to refuse his nice, overly-sweet, gigantic, hot and nerdy boyfriend?</p><p> </p><p>He smiled, "Sounds like a plan."</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Se gero - Carry on</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>They were cavemen.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol had mostly stopped returning home and chose to spend his days and nights with Baekhyun. He had to lie to his parents and sneak into his bed at early dawn. His parents let him be. They thought it was his 'coping mechanism' and in a way it was.</p><p> </p><p>They didn't need to know which way, though.</p><p> </p><p>Yoora was by his side, and that relieved him to a great extent. She covered up for whatever traces he could not erase, and the prospect of her upcoming marriage was distracting enough for his parents. Chanyeol made a mental note that after all of this was over, he was going to take Yoora and her husband on a double date to thank them.</p><p> </p><p>The cave they were living in had transformed. It didn't belong to just nature anymore, it also belonged to two teenagers who were crazy in love. Baekhyun had said it was their 'first home' and that one sentence had made Chanyeol feel like he was flying through pink, mushroom clouds. The cave had blue posters and fairy lights of different colours hanging around. There were two comfortable blanket-burritos on the floor, a small disk-shaped coffee table they could keep books on, and a lamplight that glowed with Baekhyun's shining orbs. On one side, there were plastic containers of the food that Kyungsoo was apt in providing them with.</p><p> </p><p>It was nice, a little bubble of happiness. If Chanyeol was asked what were the happiest times in his life, the correct answers would be the days he spent with Baekhyun in the library, and these days. Sure, there was a war coming, and time was a slimy fish that just wouldn't stay in their hands, but happiness was a constant giant fish they caught every day.</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol!" Baekhyun skipped over to him in his shorts and hoodies, eyes lit up with an excitement that came with success, "There's stuff mentioned about Aurora's Diary."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol raised his eyebrows, "Seriously?" He scooted over to Baekhyun and took the diary in his hands, the leather warm against his hand - Baekhyun must have been holding it for a long time now.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, read from here," Baekhyun pointed out, placing his finger on a scribbled line.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol read it out, "It says - 'Aurora asked me about Magnus. I was shocked, but she told me it's because she wants to hide her diary's key in his cave. I promised her I'd get it done in the next week.'" Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows, "Did he get it done?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes," Baekhyun said, grabbing the book and flipping a few entries ahead, "Look at this."</p><p> </p><p>"'Sometimes, I forget just how tall the Western Woods is, but since I promised Aurora I'd give the key to Magnus, I have no other choice. Magnus's Cave is directly above Sun-Set Valley, so at least, I'll get to watch the sunset.'" Chanyeol finished reading, "This Magnus - he must be dead now, right?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun frowned, "No, why would he-?" He stopped halfway, and slammed his head, "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. Magnus isn't a human."</p><p> </p><p>"No?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun hesitated for a bit, "Let's just say Zene wasn't wrong about dragon-giant hybrids."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol's eyes almost sprung out of their sockets, "Are you telling me Magnus is...?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun nodded, real slow, "He's a dragon-giant hybrid, and we have to somehow get the key from him."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shut the book, "Hey, Elijah? You there? Let's just fight and kill each other, how about it?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun slapped Chanyeol's shoulders, "Shut up. It's not impossible." Yeah, it wasn't impossible, but it wasn't <em>possible </em>either. There was no way they could go to the cave of a dragon-giant hybrid. Chanyeol would rather die by the hands of a human, then get shredded -</p><p> </p><p>"Don't have such bad expectations, Chan," Baekhyun reprimanded him, a crease on his forehead, "Freisty is a dragon too, but she's so nice." Freisty was a <em>tamed, young </em>dragon. Magnus was centuries old, and he wasn't even a dragon. No matter how optimistic Baekhyun was, he couldn't <em>think </em>that they were going to do this.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol deadpanned, "We're going to die." He crashed to the floor, staring at the cave ceiling and wondering if it was really that bad if they just never left this place. Baekhyun lay down next to him, pulling a blanket over them -</p><p> </p><p>"Well, we're all going to die anyway," Baekhyun argued, "Come on, dragons are cool. Giants are cool. We'll at least have some fun."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shifted on his elbow, turning towards Baekhyun and letting out a sigh, "You aren't going to back out, are you?"</p><p> </p><p>"You're not going to let me go alone, are you?" Baekhyun changed his position too, staring right into Chanyeol's eyes with a challenging glance.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol let his eyelids fall over his eyes, "You know that's not going to happen." He didn't even have to open his eyes to know there was a triumphant smirk on Baekhyun's face. The heir - <em>ex-heir? </em>- scooted closer, using Chanyeol's arm as his personal pillow, and said in the softest voice -</p><p> </p><p>"We leave at dawn."</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 24 October (58 days left)</strong>
</p><p>The sun rays fell onto them, like strings of a huge harp connected to heavens. Baekhyun got up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. It was a new day - another day down before their deadline. The thought made him uncomfortable, but this time it didn't allow panic to rage inside him, simply because Chanyeol's arms were wound around his waist, holding him close and breathing into the hollow of his neck. Even though the taller boy was asleep, he radiated comfort and safety that Baekhyun basked into. Baekhyun could just shut his eyes and he would feel like he was home, he could sleep in Chanyeol's arm without dreading the morning.</p><p> </p><p>But today, he won't be getting much sleep.</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol," Baekhyun shook the boy awake, patting his cheeks, "Get up. Magnus, remember?" The name of the deity they had yet to meet caused Chanyeol to stumble awake, bleary-eyed and messy-haired. He looked like his eleven-year-old chubby self.</p><p> </p><p>"Morning," Chanyeol greeted him, laying his head on his shoulder. Baekhyun could smell his morning breath, but he didn't complain. It felt nice to have Chanyeol's weight on him - it anchored him in a way.</p><p> </p><p>"Today, we have to gather some stuff," Baekhyun counted, vaguely planning out their itinerary, "And we have to -"</p><p> </p><p>Before he could finish, the air shimmered and a dishevelled Jongin, still in his pyjamas stood there with Yoora, who was cleanly dressed up in a sundress. Her eyes were troubled and Baekhyun braced himself for the news that would come -</p><p> </p><p>"My little brother," she started, giving him a pursed smile, "We have to talk to our parents."</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> "Park Chanyeol. Whatever you're doing, stop it right now!"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun winced at the voices that came from the living room. He was in Chanyeol's bedroom, statistically brought by Jongin. He had told Jongin their plans, and naturally, the news had travelled to all their other friends, who'd immediately brought clothes and food for him. But even with all the resources they had to their name, they couldn't stop Chanyeol's parents from giving him an earful. Mr and Mrs. Park were thankfully unaware that their son was helping a labelled criminal, but they were aware that he was definitely not at home.</p><p> </p><p>"Why would you disappear for so many days? Do you think you're an adult now? Even your sister requires my permission, young man!" Mrs. Park's voice reverberated across the room, attracting unnecessary attention from nosy neighbours. For the first time, Baekhyun felt glad that his 'parents' weren't normal, because damn, Baekhyun feared Mrs. Park more than the dragon-giant hybrid they were supposed to fight.</p><p> </p><p>Jongin, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, shivered, "Damn, Chanyeol's in the same boat as me." His rosy, tanned skin was as always glowing, but Baekhyun noticed the darkening patch under his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Really? Why?"</p><p> </p><p>Jongin shrugged, "Well, you know. I've been transporting people here and there, so I'm not at home a <em>lot. </em>Old man's not vibing with that. He thinks I should be more focused or goal-oriented."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun frowned. Jongin was pretty goal-oriented and focused. When he set his mind to something, he got it done, "But you are!" For a moment Jongin kept mum and Mrs. Park's relentless shouting continued.</p><p> </p><p>"It's just - look at yourself Baek, look at Chanyeol. Both of you have a set goal and are working towards it like a machine, but I'm just popping in there, and out. I'm not great at anything - not the best chanter, or the best student, or the sportsman. Sometimes, I feel like I'm in a lucid dream regarding my<em> own </em>life, you know?" He chuckled at that, sounding light and airy but Baekhyun knew his words were anything but, "I spent most of my high-school years trying to woo Kyungsoo, and it's still not working out. People, they grow up, they change, they become adults. But I? I don't know if I'm really there. I'm just floating." He shook his head, shrugging helplessly as his chin wobbled -</p><p> </p><p>"I'm just...floating." Tears shone in Jongin's eyes and Baekhyun stepped forward, perching on the bed beside him -</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Jongin," he spoke, tilting the chin of his younger friend, "Is this - floating, does it make you feel bad?"</p><p> </p><p>Jongin pursed his lips, "I don't know, Baek. I'm just afraid that all of you are going to settle in life, do things, make things, and I'll still just float around."</p><p> </p><p>"That's not going to happen, Jongin," Baekhyun assured him, and pointed to himself, "I mean look at me. I'm a teenager possessed by an adult who died centuries ago. He didn't have his life sorted out. Elan - he doesn't have shit sorted out either. Mrs. Park - she's <em>distressed - </em>does she look...composed to you? Probably not. You told me Chanyeol was all over the place when he's such a <em>composed </em>person. Your dad - he's just stressed too."</p><p> </p><p>Jongin didn't say anything.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun sighed, "The truth is we're all just lost, and we have no place to go to. Some of us don't have houses, some don't have homes. We're all just trying to appear normal by holding onto strings of times." He paused as he remembered what Chanyeol had told him 'You give it independence. But I consider it to be the most dependent thing ever.' Inactivity, he had called it, and truly, it was inactivity that made them feel like they <em>had</em> no worth, "There's tons of things we don't know but try to, simply because <em>we </em>should know them at our age - but really, that's just bullshit. We do wrong, we do right, we fall, we learn. We're all new to this and deserve to be a little lost, a little sad, a little happy, a little me and a little you."</p><p> </p><p>The light that he could summon on his will was glowing, inside him, as he spoke these words fearlessly, loud in a raw, scratched up voice. The soft sunshine entered through the windows and graced them, lighting the room in a pleasant, warm glow. It filtered out a little bit of the darkness he hid inside his heart - and he'll take that little. The shouting stopped below and footsteps - Chanyeol's lousy pattering - came up the stairs, until the door creaked, and he stepped in. His eyes were teary, but there was a definite smile on his face. After all, Mrs. Park's long lecture was only because she <em>cared </em>that much about her son. Jongin's lashes were wet, and he was quivering like a leaf in a storm. Baekhyun couldn't swallow without sobbing.</p><p> </p><p>They were all distressed. They were all tired. They were all young. They were all kids.</p><p> </p><p>And they all ought to be happy.</p><p> </p><p>Because,</p><p> </p><p>"The sun shines on everyone." Baekhyun stated, "<em>Sol omnibus lucet. </em>So, let's bask in it."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>5</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sic itur ad astra - Thus, one journeys to the stars.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The clock struck twelve when they were finally ready to leave. Mrs. Park had packed Chanyeol food - the cover-up was that he was going to Yixing's house - and Yoora had helped them gather some relics and weapons. They had enough clothes, and a strong bag to carry all of it. Once they were ready, Jongin, Yoora and Yixing who had come over to 'pick Chanyeol up' hugged them and they were on their way, sneaking out of the house.</p><p> </p><p>It was raining outside, and they had used it to their advantage. Baekhyun was well-covered up. Nobody would recognize him under the raincoats and umbrella, making him just another Aurorian on their way to the mart. They tried to make conversation to appear more casual but decided to keep mum because the thundering sound of rain drowned everything.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun remained alert, taking in their surroundings to the best of his ability, muttering the names of places underneath his breath and counting his footsteps from the grey-bricked Crossword Chronicle at Junction 17 to Bacon Stripes near Professor Pat's house. The thin Englishman was peeping out of his window, while munching on lunch biscuits. Baekhyun lowered his head.</p><p> </p><p>The buildings changed as they kept walking - from small, cemented bungalows at the Junction 32 to taller, greyer business buildings at Junction 15 to tiny, decked houses, fountains and gardens at Junction 7. A few steps more, and they were under the huge shadow of the Townhall, exactly on Junction 1.</p><p> </p><p>"A little further up," Baekhyun's skin tingled as Chanyeol pressed his cold lips to his ears, "And then we'll be out of here."</p><p> </p><p>They walked until they reached the negative Junctions, at the outskirts of the city. The population density fell, and houses were placed further from each other. Most of the people who lived here were farmers with huge lands...or mad scientists, although Baekhyun was yet to confirm that theory. Would Chanyeol stay here? He looked at the taller boy observing him, and shrugged. Probably not.</p><p> </p><p>After a while of walking, the rain had stopped and they were out of Crosswords - well, out of the city, at least, but still present in the Aurorian Kingdom, at the unexplored edges. The Western Woods was huge, with tall trees, wild animals, mushy-marshy lands and other things that they didn't know about.</p><p> </p><p>And that's what made everything so sombre around them.</p><p> </p><p>They stopped at the foot of a blunt tree to rest their legs. They had walked quite a lot. The ground was damp, but he had a Chanyeol with him. The boy placed his hand at the foot and a small fire licked the ground dry before vanishing into empty air. Baekhyun fell onto the ground with a thump, and his feet ached deliciously.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm never getting up again," he stated. Chanyeol slowly lowered himself on the ground and wordlessly buried his face into Baekhyun's shoulder -</p><p> </p><p>"That makes two of us."</p><p> </p><p>His lips tugged up immediately, and he raised his head towards the sky he couldn't see - <em>that's </em>how thick the canopy was. Chanyeol's hands moved around his waist, bringing him closer -</p><p> </p><p>"Baek."</p><p> </p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p> </p><p>"You'll be fine."</p><p> </p><p>A wistful smile crept on his face, "I'm okay."</p><p> </p><p>"I know you're not. You're avoiding it, but...I'm not going to leave your side anytime soon." It was all spoken in a barely comprehensible voice, buried in his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>"I hope you don't," Baekhyun whispered, "Wouldn't want to be left in this deathly labyrinth of a forest all by my own."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol chuckled in his deep voice, "Neither."</p><p> </p><p>Then, they didn't have words to say so they just settled against each other, basking under the sun - no, not the one that's in the sky kilometres away - but the one that was his own, always there for him.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 26 October (56 days left)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>West.</p><p> </p><p>In Elijah's diary, he mentioned the Sun-Set Valley, so they keep walking towards the West tirelessly. Yoora gave them a magnet, so it's easier. The night was deep and the forest dark, but they kept walking until Chanyeol's hand grabbed Baekhyun's shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>"That's a cliff." Baekhyun scrunched his eyebrows, but he couldn't see any further than the darkness, the heavy darkness, but he noticed the <em>emptiness. </em>A little further away, the darkness reduced and there weren't any shadows - just air. He took a few experimental steps and lit his light - keeping it to a dim. They didn't want to attract any wild animals or wild trees, "It's actually further away," Chanyeol remarked. Baekhyun nodded and walked forward, and his jaw fell open.</p><p> </p><p>He had seen stars - they appeared exquisite from the North Tower, or the Flamma Tower back at the academy. But, this - this was something else.</p><p> </p><p>Billions of stars of every colour hung at the sky, stretched to infinity. Because of the rain, the skies were clear. Beneath them, a deep plunge extended with a silvery, shiny stream cutting through the jagged rocks at the very bottom. Now and then, a star fell from grace, shooting towards the horizon.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun searched around for Chanyeol and grasped his hand, squeezing onto it.</p><p> </p><p>"It's - Chanyeol, it's -"</p><p> </p><p>Before he could say another word, Chanyeol pulled him in with his arm and placed his warm palm on his soft cheek, and <em>kissed him. </em>Their lips moved against each other, warm, soft, wet. Baekhyun's hands wrapped around him, pulling him closer, closer, closer. The stars were alive, the sun was shining.</p><p> </p><p>He was in love.</p><p> </p><p>They parted and Baekhyun, breathless and impatient, wide-eyed and emotional spoke the words before they too, like a shooting star, could crash -</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol I - I love you!"</p><p> </p><p>His heart was hammering loudly, his eyes were lit up. <em>Love. </em>Chanyeol's eyebrows shot up, and happiness filled those beautiful, precious hazel eyes. <em>Love. </em>A white star peeled away from the normality and vanished into the horizon. <em>Love.</em></p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol's arms kept him still, his eyes captivated him to an extent that he couldn't blink, afraid that he'd miss an emotion play out on Chanyeol's beautiful face. Last year, an alumni had told him that 'love' didn't mean much in school. It was when you knew yourself and stepped out in the outer world that you found out what 'love' was, but he refused.</p><p> </p><p>Love was a shooting star. Sudden, powerful and beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>And at last, the emotions that crossed Chanyeol's face finally settled into one where his eyes glimmered and shone, and a small but <em>honest </em>smile slid onto his face. <em>Love.</em></p><p> </p><p>"I'm in love with you too, Baek."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun couldn't hold himself back. His hands were on Chanyeol's cheeks, and his lips upon his. They were kissing, and even though it wasn't the first time, there were butterflies in his stomach, sparks in his heart, there was <em>magic </em>in the air - even though neither of them had touched their wand.</p><p> </p><p>They kissed a lot, again and again, and again, until Baekhyun had fully traced the shape of Chanyeol's lips, his cupid bow, the slight soft area where his skin had peeled away. He could taste Chanyeol on his tongue; Chanyeol's smell was embedded into his memory. He felt <em>clean - </em>Chanyeol loved him, he loved Chanyeol too. In his eighteen years of life, Byun Baekhyun had himself convinced that he had to take one step forward every day to be happy. But today, he understood, happiness wasn't a destination. It was a twinkling star, always there, you just had to find it.</p><p> </p><p>They had set up camp, but instead of crawling inside the latex-tent, they kept their legs in, while their heads were out, staring at the stars. He imagined each star as a certain happiness - there were many stars. He just hoped his life would be long enough to live through all of them, but even if he didn't, he'd remain happy, because he had lived through a fair amount of stars.</p><p> </p><p>Right now, snuggled with Chanyeol, watching a beautiful sky that most couldn't - <em>he was happy.</em></p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>Draco dormeins nunquam titillndus - Never tickle a sleeping dragon</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Tuesday, 27 October (55 days left)</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>"We're here," Chanyeol wheezed, running his hand through his damp hair. He was tired, obviously, they had been walking for over a day, but there was a satisfied gleam in his eyes, "Sunset Valley."</p><p> </p><p>The sky was streaked with reds and oranges, and the sun sunk between two adjacent hills like a child returning to his mother's embrace. The hills were high and the up-hill climb was torturous, but they had managed it. Baekhyun let out a breathless chuckle. <em>They had managed it. </em>The realization made him weak and he slumped against Chanyeol -</p><p> </p><p>"Let's set camp here," he muttered, eyes fixed onto the sight of the valley swallowing the sun, "We'll move towards the Valley at dawn." He came to that decision for two reasons. One, he was exhausted and his feet were lead bricks. Two, he didn't want to face giant-dragon hybrids in the dark.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol nodded beside him, immediately taking his wand out and casting a few chants to set the camp. Baekhyun was glad they were chanters. They didn't have to do everything manually. Back on Earth, he sneakily used his wand for completing most of the tasks Aisha had assigned him, but she didn't need to know that.</p><p> </p><p>Once the camp was set, Baekhyun did the favours and cast a few protective chants, warding-off chants, alerting chants and every other thing that came to his sleep-deprived mind. Once he could <em>smell </em>the magic, he decided it was enough and ducked into the tent. Chanyeol was already lying on the ground, his long bent at the knees, because he couldn't fit in completely. Baekhyun felt bad for him and at the same time, he was grateful that Santa hadn't granted him his wish to be 6'2.</p><p> </p><p>He lay on the ground and wordlessly, Chanyeol pulled him closer and they settled in a familiar position, <em>naturally. </em>Times...had really changed, huh? This was the only nice kind of change, he decided and tried to sleep, but, his mind was preoccupied by thoughts he couldn't place into words.</p><p> </p><p>"What are you thinking?" Chanyeol asked, his voice husky and tired, eyes a blink away from slumber. Baekhyun couldn't help but smile at him - he looked cute like this. Baekhyun had half a mind to annoy him, so he acted cuter but decided against it. He wasn't nine years old for Aurora's sake.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not sure," he admitted, "My thoughts are moving way too fast." He imitated the sound of a galloping horse and Chanyeol snorted.</p><p> </p><p>"Come here," the taller boy commanded, gently cupping his nape and pulling him closer until Baekhyun's nose was smashed against his hard chest which was...well, <em>impressive - </em>the hard, toned lines but he'd die without oxygen.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't breathe, you idiot," he complained, pulling away from Chanyeol. The taller boy just hummed along as Baekhyun settled on his arm instead, "If your arm hurts tomorrow, it's not my fault."</p><p> </p><p>"It's completely your fault," Chanyeol sang to tease him, but he was way too tired to deliver the brunt. His eyes were shut and he looked innocent, as if he had never transformed into a lethal, insane and miserable deity who drove a sword through Baekhyun's chest. His forehead creased as a sudden thought struck his mind -</p><p> </p><p>"We...we haven't been possessed in days," Baekhyun muttered, drawing abstract figures on Chanyeol's chest, "Do you think we should be alarmed?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol opened his eyes, "No."</p><p> </p><p>"But, isn't it strange? We were possessed so often -"</p><p> </p><p>"Because we were at Crosswords, surrounded by all kinds of old, triggering magic. Now that we've learnt more about our - uh - other selves, they're a bit subdued," Chanyeol paused, "We're safe...for now. I'm afraid when we get her diary, something might happen."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun lowered his eyes, deep in thought, "We don't have much time left till twenty-first December. I suppose they'd get harder to control as the day approaches."</p><p> </p><p>"It's true we don't have a lot of time," Chanyeol stated, "But we have enough. So don't worry about it now. Come here, and sleep."</p><p> </p><p>It was as if Chanyeol's words were a mantra that shut all the voices in his head, because finally the exhaustion caught up to him and his eyes started drooping. He scooted closer to the taller boy, wrapping his arms around his neck and giving into the darkness.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The sun was yawning, slowly moving up.</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes flew open. Baekhyun was looking at the horizon with an unreadable gaze. When he heard Chanyeol’s shifting, he turned his face towards him and looked at him in the eye –</p><p>“It’s time.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Wednesday, 28 October (54 days left)</strong>
</p><p>They trudged down up the valley to the high hills. The tread was rocky, jagged with sharp crystalline edges and one wrong step could send them tumbling down into the Sunset Valley – a fall they wouldn’t survive. They took slow steps, one foot in front of another, lodging their hands at the crevices before moving, and checking the rocks to see if the ground was firm enough.</p><p>Sweat beaded down Baekhyun’s nose, and the heat prickled underneath his arms. <em>Ugh. </em>Human metabolism was so annoying. He wished his body would stop being human for a few hours so that he could <em>ensure </em>his mortality. Otherwise, he was going to start scratching his head and fall to his death.</p><p>He tilted his head upwards, and the rocky terrain zoomed towards him, a dangerous climb, and a more dangerous fall. Putting his feet on one of the rocks, he tried to summon his non-existent core strength and pull his hips up, but his arms were soggy noodles. He couldn’t pull himself up. The sweat, the heat, the itchiness…<em>come on, Byun Baekhyun, you’ve got this. </em>He tried again and this time he got halfway up. He breathed in relief before the world turned upside down and his footing slipped. The air wheezed by him, but then it stopped. Turning his head backwards – which was a dangerous and stupid thing to do – he saw Chanyeol grabbing onto his hips. His eyes were blown as he pulled Baekhyun back to a stable ground –</p><p>“Don’t ever – fuck, are you okay?” He asked Baekhyun, concern itched on his face. Baekhyun nodded lightly, feeling lightheaded. <em>He was alive.</em></p><p>“I’m…okay.” The words sounded awkward and rushed, but at least he was speaking, “That was scary.”  He closed his eyes to breath but opened them just as soon, afraid that he’d fall again. It was terrifying.</p><p>Chanyeol looked like he wanted to say more, but it wasn’t the time. They had to get over this.</p><p>“How about I climb first?” Chanyeol suggested and Baekhyun wanted to puke. What if he fell again? This time nobody would be watching his back, but he smiled instead.</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“It would be safer this way, you’ll see,” Baekhyun had no idea who Chanyeol was trying to convince, but he nodded anyway and shifted <em>slightly </em>to the left to allow Chanyeol to climb up. The taller boy did exactly that, swinging his arms over the rocks and pulling up because of his tall legs which went everywhere that they could find support. Why had Santa not granted him a height of 6’3? Chanyeol looked like a cave dweller from this angle. All he needed was a questionable hairstyle to complete the chimpanzee look.</p><p>The taller boy managed to climb up quite easily, and with his hands pressed onto the ground beneath him, he looked expectantly at Baekhyun, “You can do it. Go slow, but don’t stop.”</p><p>Baekhyun sighed. His heart rate was fastening again, and fear flowed in his veins, but Chanyeol’s expectant look caused him to swing his leg over the first rock, just like Chanyeol had done. He grabbed the adjacent rock, wincing as it was further away, and he wasn’t tall – but he did it. He moved his limbs one by one, the right hand, left leg, left hand, right leg. It was simply a marching tune, he told himself, you’ve done this before Baekhyun.</p><p>When he reached the tallest rock, he stared at it in despair. There was absolutely no way he was going to climb that. He breathed heavily before moving his hand up when another hand grabbed his. His eyes fixed themselves on Chanyeol. The taller boy bit onto his lips, and his shoulder flexed as he pulled Baekhyun up – who was by no means <em>light </em>– and just a few seconds later, Baekhyun was in Chanyeol’s embrace, away from the edge. They were worn out, sweaty and burnt under the high sun and their fingers were raw, red, and scratched.</p><p>“That…” Baekhyun panted out, his chest moving fast, “Was tiring.”</p><p>“V-Very.” Chanyeol agreed, staring at the ground. Sweat beaded down his nose and fell onto the wet earth – <em>wait. </em>The wet earth? Baekhyun scanned the area they were in. There was fresh, warm soil underneath his palm, slightly damp. There were a few tall trees, but they weren’t <em>dense. </em>They still had a little upwards to climb, but this wasn’t a rocky terrain. This was just a walk, a simple walk. “Drink this.”</p><p>Chanyeol had unzipped his duffle bag and picked out a bottle of water that he handed to Baekhyun, who took it gratefully and gulped down half of it. Once they were done, they continued walking, until the air changed. It was warm, sunny and the trees were green, on top of a <em>hill. </em>Baekhyun halted, something was wrong, but Chanyeol urged them on –</p><p>“We must be near,” he looked on ahead to the horizon, “The land of the dragons.”</p><p>Baekhyun bit his lips, “I hope the plan works.”</p><p>“Don’t worry,” Chanyeol assured, his lips morphing into a small smile, “It will. Yoora’s come across dragons, right? And Junmyeon had brought us every information we might need.”</p><p>“It would be great having a dad who’s a dragon-rider,” Baekhyun mused, waiting for Chanyeol to agree, but the taller boy did not say anything. He harboured a dark look, “Is everything okay?”</p><p>Chanyeol blinked, and the unease on his face morphed into another smile, “Yeah, definitely. Let’s go.”</p><p>The walk was simple enough. Their feet sunk into the fresh, granular soil. Baekhyun found it hard to believe that in October, the climate could be so pleasant. They had packed heavy, padding-jackets to ward off the cold but Baekhyun was comfortable in his one-layer hoodie and jeans. Chanyeol sported a similar outfit, his hair tousled up and glasses skidding down his nose. He looked cute.</p><p>Soon, the trees became shorter and the granular soil turned firm. There were rocks the size of a lion in front of them and beyond that? Who knows? They took careful steps to climb up on the rocks until they could see, and their jaws dropped.</p><p>A rocky pavement, a trench, a shaky but stable bridge that led to fields and caves. It was as if distinct parts of nature had joined here, unsure what exactly they wanted to portray, but it looked beautiful, nevertheless. But the surrounding wasn’t the most curious part – it was the lifeforms. Winged dragons were rolling in the fields. Most of them were young. Out of them, Baekhyun’s breath halted as his eyes fell on a familiar figure.</p><p>“Chanyeol!” He gasped, “That’s Freisty, isn’t it?”</p><p>The taller boy’s eyes followed his finger, resting on the pink and blue dragon. A smile split his face, “Yes! Oh my god, that’s really her.” Baekhyun couldn’t hide his happiness. Freisty’s presence calmed him down in a way he hadn’t imagined. He realized that no matter how foreign or scary things might be, there were some permanent things. With a bitter taste in his mouth, the name ‘Crosswords Academy’ came to his mind, and he swore that one day…he’d go back to that familiar place.</p><p>Now, it was time to act out their plan.</p><p>Baekhyun was thankful for all the special classes he had attended this year. He had learnt some wicked chants and it was time to try them out in the real world.</p><p><em>“Causa latet, vis est notissima!” </em>It was a ‘<em>Contradictrio’ </em>dark chant, which stated ‘the cause is hidden, the result is obvious.’ Baekhyun performed the complex wand movements before a light shimmer crept up his body. He raised his hand and as expected, he couldn’t see it. He was invisible. He looked to his side – he couldn’t see Chanyeol either, which was a down-side, but they had practised this. They could do this!</p><p>Then, they cast the other chants – the non-smell chant, silencing chants, and body-heat reduction chant. Once they were wrapped in a thick cover of magic, they were ready to go. They couldn’t come up with a chant that would hide the <em>magic </em>itself, but dragons and giants were naturally magical creatures. So hopefully, in magic-enriched surroundings, they won’t stand out.</p><p>Chanyeol climbed over first, before giving Baekhyun a hand. They crept up slowly to the wooden bridge and with a start, Baekhyun noticed that it was built over a chasm…that had lava running through it. Suddenly, crossing the bridge wasn’t appealing.</p><p>He felt a hand touch his – Chanyeol – and was pulled forward. His footsteps were rushed but careful, so that the bridge won’t move a lot and hint their presence. They made their way across safely but Baekhyun couldn’t relax.</p><p>The hard part started now.</p><p>There were plenty of dragons and the fields went on until the horizon. They kept walking, avoiding any random spray of fire, or burst of water that the dragons played around with. The sun was dipping at an alarming rate, and a bubble of panic grew inside Baekhyun, threatening to burst. They tip-toed the area, trying not to cause any <em>little </em>disturbance. All these dragons… they couldn’t be vegetarians, and even if they were, Baekhyun didn’t plan on staying around for long to find out.</p><p>The surroundings were changing again. The fields became drier, emptier before they were rocky. There were huge boulders on the ground that made walking difficult. Was this how moonwalkers felt when they had to jump from one crater to the other? They couldn’t see much ahead, except the huge curve of another boulder, with moss stuck to its end.</p><p>“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun whispered, “You know what this means, right? Bigger beings live here, much bigger than us.” The single thought sent his mind into an absolute frenzy. He wished they’d just get the stone placed somewhere they could reach and run with it.</p><p>They kept walking, until Baekhyun heard the sound of boulders moving. He looked towards Chanyeol, eyes blown, “Don’t make any sound!”</p><p>Chanyeol shook his head, “That – that wasn’t me!”</p><p>“But – what?”</p><p>The boulders shifted again and Baekhyun watched, frozen, as the huge, mossy rock turned over. He had a last moment realization that it was going to crush him to the ground, but he couldn’t move. They were surrounded by boulders everywhere.</p><p>The huge rock came closer until Baekhyun could feel the cool and wet moss on his cheeks. He backed away from the disgusting thing, but that was his biggest mistake.</p><p>“Someone is here!” A huge, deep voice bellowed, and the sound reverberated under the earth and the boulders. Everything was shaking, and Baekhyun knew – he was dead meat. There was a deafening creak and Baekhyun felt the world turn upside down as he shot up to the sky, staring at a huge rock with a deep gauge. The boulders went farther and farther away, and two concrete pillars came into view. He looked up again and ended up heaving.</p><p>He was staring at an eye – a huge eye, with all those disgusting red lines and that soggy sheet that covered it. His heart sank as he understood what was happening – a giant had picked him up. He froze and debated if he should shout a last ‘I love you!’ to Chanyeol, for the dramatic effect but he didn’t because if he opened his mouth, he would puke.</p><p>The gauge rippled and opened, and Baekhyun realized it was a <em>mouth. </em>Fuck, he wasn’t edible! But the giant didn’t bring him closer to the mouth. Instead, he let out a shout that tore Baekhyun’s eardrums, octaves, and amplitudes above what he was accustomed to. The sound echoed and before Baekhyun could catch a breath, the skies and grounds were shaking. The giant was shaking him! His head hurt and his brains had probably turned into mush, but he noticed a shimmery layer glide off his body.</p><p>“There you go,” the deep voice rumbled, and the vibrations travelled to every last of Baekhyun’s pore, “A tiny, puny human.” Before Baekhyun could cry for his life, he noticed ‘a’. The giant didn’t know where Chanyeol was…and Baekhyun planned to keep it that way.</p><p>But then, the world spun again and Baekhyun’s skull threatened to burst into two as the giant rumbled out in a pleased voice, “<em>Two </em>tiny, puny humans.” Baekhyun risked a glance to his left and saw sharp nails holding onto his boyfriend who was scared out of his wits. Baekhyun mirrored the look.</p><p>The ground shook as the pillars – that were the giant’s <em>legs – </em>moved. Up, and down. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice that sounded very much like Chanyeol’s nerdy tone said, ‘he’s walking, Byun!’ Baekhyun hoped he wasn’t being walked to his death – or death part two, since he had <em>died </em>once.</p><p>Right?</p><p>His mind spluttered nonsense at him and he was grateful, because if he tried to use his senses and logic, he would’ve shat his pants by now. After some time that felt like forever, the giant stopped and Baekhyun felt wind race by him as if he was in a free-fall, but then his jelly-like feet hit the floor and he, like a true hero, stumbled and fell onto his butt, proud of himself for not shitting or dying of a heart attack. Chanyeol was also dropped beside him – the boy held onto the straps of both their duffel bags tightly, as if he’d lose it if he let go.</p><p>Baekhyun held his breath instead because he was ninety per cent sure the giant was going to stomp on them. Some painful, silent minutes passed and nothing happened. Baekhyun’s heartbeat was going crazy, his stomach hurt like hell so he checked the surroundings to distract himself. They were on soft, green grass. Further up, a huge shimmering tree stood, and beyond that, Baekhyun could see the glimpses of blue, cerulean water.</p><p>He gave up on understanding things.</p><p>The ground lightly shook and Baekhyun’s attention fell towards a cave in front of him, through which a creature approached. He gasped. The newcomer wasn’t very tall – about the size of two Kyungsoos. He had a rocky chest, but his legs were serpentine, like that of a dragon. On his sides, there were folded, red scales that Baekhyun recognized as wings.</p><p>He did not doubt that this person was –</p><p>“I am Magnus.” Chills crept down his back as the hybrid sneered and a sharp canine crept out. He had two dulled-golden eyes, a beaten-up, twisted rocky nose and a long red mane that went up to his waist, “And who are you?”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol shot to his knees, his eyes glimmering familiarly whenever he had a stupidly dangerous idea, “We were finding you!” He pointed to Baekhyun, “That is my friend Byun Baekhyun, the heir of Aurora. And the spirit of the guardian, Elijah is locked within me.”</p><p>Baekhyun wanted to die on the spot. Why would Chanyeol tell him all of this – when all of it was proven to be nothing but a huge, fat lie? If Magnus found out… they’d probably be headless.</p><p>The hybrid didn’t give much of a reaction, but his grin widened, “Ah, Misery is crossing?”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground but his ears were perked up, sitting alert atop his head.</p><p>“The last time this happened was five hundred heirs back,” Magnus chuckled, as if he had made a wonderful joke. <em>Heirs, </em>not years. “I remember the day two women – much like you – stomped in here and demanded Aurora’s lock. I gave it to them, but they died anyway.”</p><p><em>They died anyway…</em>Baekhyun shivered, trying not to imagine his and Chanyeol’s corpse lying side by side, cold to the touch and eyes empty. Those beautiful hazel-flecked eyes…they won’t lose their life, would they?</p><p>“You gave it to them that easily?” Chanyeol knit his eyebrows.</p><p>Magnus waved the question away, “I’m tired of keeping something important. Aurora told me to pass it into the future. What good will that piece of rock do me, anyway? Do you think giants understand the trade of magical heirlooms? They don’t.” The giant above them grunted, and Magnus sighed, “No, Avius. Trees aren’t family heirlooms.” Turning towards Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s confused gazes, Magnus shrugged, “He likes eating trees.”</p><p>On cue, <em>Avius </em>stomped back towards the rocky ground. The ground quivered under his steps and Baekhyun breathed in relief as the footsteps went farther and farther away. Now, they were left with a hybrid who wasn’t <em>that </em>tall.</p><p>“So…” Chanyeol started, “Could we have the stone?”</p><p>Magnus smiled, “Oh, of course, I’ll bring it.” He turned around, slamming against a boulder by mistake before straightening his path and stepping inside the cave, leaving them with no supervision. But they knew better than to get up and ruin their chances of getting the key. Baekhyun was happy, the plan was clear enough. They had to get the key and run off here and never return. <em>Simple. </em>But there was a tight knot in his gut. This… seemed way too simple.</p><p>Immediately, his brain went into analysis mode. Magnus was half-blind – he had to be. He was also some sort of leader here, and he was apparently kind and helpful. But that didn’t add up. You didn’t gain power among non-human beings without having power. There had to be something.</p><p>“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun started, looking around helplessly, “This is a trap-”</p><p>“There you are!” Magnus’s canines were visible as he skipped towards them, a suspicious bundle in his hands, “How obedient, this evolves from being their carriers.” The hybrid stated in a way that Baekhyun felt he was a mosquito carrying plasmodium, but he didn’t say a word.</p><p>“Can we get the key?” Chanyeol asked, timid and hesitant, and Baekhyun would have cooed if his senses weren’t in overdrive, screaming at him to run away.</p><p>And as expected, Magnus’s demeanour changed, “You see, last time when the girls came over, I had a condition that they failed to fulfil.”</p><p>They didn’t say a <em>word. </em>Baekhyun hoped it wasn’t something like fighting a giant or worse, trying an experiment that would end up in them dying, but Magnus’s words shocked him much more than what he had expected –</p><p>“I asked one of them to marry me. The other was free to leave. But they were so childish, I had no option other than to watch them die at my hands.” Baekhyun shivered and his stomach lurched with the realization – they were going to die at the hands of a hybrid who was going to relate their story to some other couple five hundred years later and say ‘had to watch them die at my hands.’</p><p>Baekhyun heard Chanyeol intake a deep breath, “So, you’re going to ask one of us to…marry you? I’m curious why you chose this condition.”</p><p>“I am going to do exactly that!” Magnus’ face broke into a grin, “And this particular reason is because once Aurora’s key leaves me, I’ll be lonely, so I need someone to be – uh – <em>entertained </em>by, don’t I?” The hybrid had the audacity to play at being sad. Baekhyun knew exactly what he meant by ‘entertainment’ and he despised it.</p><p>Chanyeol’s silence proved that he shared the same sentiments. Completely overlooking the drop in their conversation, Magnus clasped his hands –</p><p>“Alright! I’ve decided which one of you I want.” A dark, malicious glimmer shone in his eyes, “Obviously, if I’m giving Aurora up, I need to take Aurora back, don’t I?”</p><p>Silence reigned over them before Chanyeol exploded, “The truth is that I am-”</p><p>“My boyfriend!” Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol, “What he means to say is that he...is my boyfriend.” He couldn’t risk Chanyeol revealing that he was Aurora’s heir. If Magnus came to know they had lied then he would be angry – that was one reason.</p><p>And the other was that Baekhyun loved Chanyeol, and he was <em>at no cost </em>passing the burden over to Chanyeol. No, he would suffer if the nerd could be safe and sort his life out.</p><p>Magnus shrugged, “I don’t care if you are ‘boyfriends’ or married or brothers. Three days from now, on the night of the full moon, I shall be married.” All the details mushed up together and all Baekhyun could process was <em>Chanyeol, </em>“And you, the taller boy, will take this gem and never return here.”</p><p>For a moment, Baekhyun’s heart stopped as Chanyeol parted his mouth, his eyebrows knit, his forehead creased and anger running through his eyes but then, his face went lax, “Alright.” He got up and Magnus smiled victoriously –</p><p>“You made the right choice, kid.”</p><p>Chanyeol grabbed the gem and took the bags. Magnus laughed at him, “Now, don’t ever be seen again. I’ll put up a ‘stomp on sight’ board with your face on it.” Chanyeol didn’t smile at the joke. He wasn’t sure if it was a joke. He clasped the straps of the bag tightly in his hands and cast a short look over Baekhyun. Chanyeol’s eyes were unreadable and his face was an empty slate as he pulled the straps over his shoulders and took steps…<em>away </em>from Baekhyun.</p><p>The shorter boy watched as his figure became smaller. Not once did Chanyeol turn back. He fisted his hands and tried to keep the tears at bay – wasn’t this what he wanted? But then why did it feel like Chanyeol was walking on the shattered pieces of his heart, reducing them to dust.</p><p>“Now, get up boy,” Baekhyun shot to his feet, watching as Magnus struggled to find him, throwing his arms around in every direction before they wrapped around Baekhyun’s nape. A scary smile weaved onto his lips, “Let’s take you to your new house, shall we?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Esse quam videri - To be rather than to seem</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was a boy who liked to be aware of everything happening in his surroundings. He didn’t want to be left behind by people – he liked to know. But as he was dragged into the cave, he wished he could shut all his senses off. He didn’t hear a word Magnus said or see the cave and the numerous paths they took, going in deeper and deeper. His mind was jumbled, but even through that haze, Baekhyun could see Chanyeol’s silhouette disappearing into the horizon, not casting him a single look.</p><p>Pain blocked his ears and muddled his vision. It cut through his skin – <em>did Chanyeol leave him? </em>He should have been happy. At least, his lover would survive. But no, he wasn’t happy. He wasn’t angry or sad either.</p><p>He was numb.</p><p>“This is where you’d stay!” Magnus clapped his hands, looking at a wall but talking to him. Baekhyun lifted his chin, cast a quick glance around the walled <em>prison </em>with a feathery bed, a loom, and a stone closet at one edge. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”</p><p>Before Baekhyun could reply, Magnus’s strong hands held his chin. It hurt, but he couldn’t say that. He couldn’t show weakness to Magnus – the weak were always pushed to the edge. “Now, I just have to get the bridal dress for you,” the hybrid muttered, his eyes shamelessly racking his body and it made his blood boil and at the same time, he never felt so small, “And you’ll weave your bridal train, won’t you darling?”</p><p>He wanted to puke, but he kept mum, nodding. Magnus smiled – or did something that should’ve been a smile if Baekhyun wasn’t watching him with a film of malice – and took some steps back, leaving him alone. Baekhyun waited until he couldn’t hear his footsteps and he threw himself on the bed. His chest was tight, but he couldn’t – he couldn’t cry. So, he observed the small room, getting up to open the wardrobe where a white fabric was kept. It was for the bridal train.</p><p>How funny it was that a few days ago he was talking about his boyfriend’s sister’s bridal train? It was an Aurorian custom. The bride came with their own bridal trains, inculcating what they stood for in the fabric. Looking at the dusty, white, plain cloth, he understood what he stood for.</p><p>
  <em>Emptiness.</em>
</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“You okay, my love?” Chanyeol winked at the beauty in front of him. The sun was setting quickly. Chanyeol was finally back into the woods, far away from the giants and dragons – from <em>most </em>dragons. Freisty shook a little and let out a happy growl, which then turned into a questioning one as she pawed the second duffel bag.</p><p>“Don’t worry,” Chanyeol ran a cautious hand through her big snout, “We’ll get him back. I’m not letting Baekhyun get married to someone that’s not me – especially someone that smells like he rolls in a pig farm.” Freisty let out another sound that he wasn’t able to understand. The hollowness in him was much clearer, as he thought about Baekhyun, who loved dragons, who understood dragons and he promised himself he’d get his little dragon back.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Thursday, 29 October (53 days left) </strong>
</p><p>Heavy footsteps shook him out of his silent state. Baekhyun shot up to his legs, never one to be seen at his lowest. The doors opened and Magnus walked in, holding a shimmery package. There was an annoying grin on his face that Baekhyun wanted desperately to wipe off –</p><p>“I got your bridal dress, heir.” It’s been long since he had been addressed like that, “Two days from now, I want to see you in this, everything put up carefully. I want a beautiful bride for myself, so don’t disappoint me.”</p><p>Baekhyun flinched as Magnus kicked the wall, making it rumble.</p><p>“I <em>love </em>seeing you like this,” Magnus continued, “Scared and all alone. Well don’t worry, Magnus will be there with you soon. It’s a shame I have sworn to follow the rites of marriage, otherwise I would have had you for myself.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s heart dropped. No, this couldn’t be. The impact of what that implied wounded him, and he could never recover. He should’ve chosen death.</p><p>But his death would bring about Chanyeol’s death too, and he won’t be able to watch that. But this…was this the only option? His eyes filled his unshed tears and for a moment, he was as blind as Magnus. The hybrid was sick and Baekhyun didn’t expect him to be human when he wasn’t one.</p><p>“Did you finish the train?” Magnus questioned, frowning, “You didn’t, did you?”</p><p>His mouth went dry, and he trembled under the cold tone, “I – I was thinking about the style so – wait!” Magnus was holding his chin again and those blind eyes were scaring him, glaring –</p><p>“Every mistake that you make, I shall punish it once we’re married,” Magnus spat, before leaning back and kicking the loom, “Stop thinking about your failed life and start working on it.” Then, he was gone.</p><p>Baekhyun was terrified by the threats that he knew weren’t empty. But with Magnus’s words, a surge of anger rose in him. Baekhyun was an orphan, he was poor, but his mother had taught him to never accept any sort of disrespect. The name ‘Aisha’ meant life itself and in what little his mother had, she had learnt to live with her head high. That’s what she had taught Baekhyun and he wasn’t going to be <em>spat </em>at like he was a toy. No, he was Byun Baekhyun, and his life wasn’t ‘failed.’</p><p>He wasn’t a dead flower. He was a small bud, but he would grow.</p><p>And as the sun set, Baekhyun worked on the loom, but not for Magnus, but for himself. He swore to himself: he was going to escape this place.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol wiped the sweat from his forehead, “Stick a little longer with me, Freisty.” The dragon groaned. She was tired, but she didn’t try to throw him off the cliff, so that was a win. He pulled onto the leather again, grunting at the weight of it before adjusting it, “There. It’s done.”</p><p>As midnight approached, he had a perfect plan in his mind. In about twenty-four hours, Baekhyun would be marrying an ugly dragon-giant hybrid. In exactly twenty-two hours, Chanyeol would be going to all lengths to stop that.</p><p>And he knew he would succeed.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“It is still <em>not </em>done!” Magnus’s voice was heavy as he held the train in his hand and he whipped Baekhyun away from the loom, boiling in rage, “How dare you defy me!”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t say anything, he kept his head down and let Magnus rage and say inhuman, demeaning things to him, before the hybrid stomped out. Just as he was gone, Baekhyun’s lips tugged up into a smirk. Yesterday, he’d slipped out of his cellar and marked the cave locations. He knew Magnus’s routine for today – the hybrid would wake up, bath in the lake beyond, check up on giants on the rocky path, which Baekhyun came to know was a one hour walk away from here – that’s what he could calculate from Magnus’s answers and routine – and then, he would come back and torment Baekhyun before heading over to torment another animal, an edible one and then eat it. He offered Baekhyun food, but the boy rejected it all, except for some leaves. He was starving, but suffering was better than giving into Magnus.</p><p>If Baekhyun had his wand with him, he would’ve got out a long time ago. But it was still in the duffel bag that Chanyeol had taken away. That didn’t mean Baekhyun was magic-less. He could chant spells without wands but they went haywire without a medium, and he could light things up…but that was practically useless. He wished he had Chanyeol’s power of fire or Kyungsoo’s power of Earth.</p><p>
  <em>Don’t wish, just do, Baekhyun.</em>
</p><p>He held his chin high, confident his plan would work. Baekhyun had rubbed a magic – a <em>curse – </em>on the bridal train that Magnus had touched. It was something very childish, yet immensely powerful and by nightfall, it should work. That was the only part of the plan he was sure about, the rest depended on his instincts.</p><p>And Baekhyun dared say he trusted himself.</p><p>➸</p><p>
  <strong>Friday, 30 October</strong>
</p><p>The skies were clear. Chanyeol stationed Freisty at the spot they had decided, and rubbed his hands on her snout, like Baekhyun used to, “Stay here. Don’t move until the signals, okay?”</p><p>Freisty grunted, but there was fire in her eyes. She would stay.</p><p>With a smile he turned around and walked the longer route, strong chants covering his entire body. Freisty had taken them around the area, so now, he was at the beach. Seventy-one minutes left until the last signal would sound. It was a risky plan, but it had to succeed. He tiptoed towards the huge tree and as expected, there were no dragons or giants here. They weren’t permitted into Magnus’s area until something unexpected happened – such as two humans showing up at your place without a word.</p><p>Hiding behind the tree, he waited for Magnus to walk out of the cave. He knew Baekhyun was in there, somewhere, but for now, he had to focus on other things. Time ticked by and Chanyeol grew impatient but he didn’t move and didn’t breathe louder than necessary. Fifty-three minutes left. Suddenly, there was a heavy stomping that echoed from the cave and the giant-hybrid walked out, fists clenched. He wore an ivory armour. A bitter taste rung in his mouth – <em>because of the marriage, huh? </em>The blind hybrid came closer to him, heading towards the beach. Chanyeol held his breath as he passed, hands fisted and an angry expression spanning his face.</p><p>“-doesn’t listen to me, huh? Let us get married, and then he’ll beg for me to have mercy on him. Tiny, puny human -” Chanyeol bit on the inside of his cheeks. He was a hard person to anger, but now, he was <em>furious. </em>Nobody talked about Baekhyun like that, with that tone – not even Aurora could use that tone on Baekhyun.</p><p>
  <em>Breathe Chanyeol, clear your mind.</em>
</p><p>Once the hybrid was just a dot in his vision, Chanyeol – who was already invisible – stepped out, peeking out from behind the tree. The path was clear. There was a huge boulder, lying on the cave, and that was his only trouble. After acquiring the stone, he’d inserted it into the book, opening it. There were many disturbing things in Aurora’s diary that he hadn’t had time to go over, but he had come to know about this place. He knew how things worked around here – and he was going to take advantage of that.</p><p>He walked over to the boulder, touched it lightly. He knew a chant for it, but that would bring about <em>noise, </em>which is why it wasn’t his immediate plan. From here on, the details mush up together, but he works his fire anyway, sending thin, long burning coils up in the air for Freisty to see.</p><p>Nothing happened.</p><p>He counted the seconds as they ticked away. He reached forty-seven when there was an uproar. Right now, Freisty, who was hidden by Chanyeol’s invisibility chant must be moving around the lake, confusing the blind hybrid. The trick would work for some fifteen minutes, Chanyeol supposed, if not less. So, he got things sorted out.</p><p>Step one, he had to communicate with Baekhyun.</p><p>Park Chanyeol, who knew many chants, did the first thing that sprung to his mind.</p><p>“<em>Byun Baekhyun!</em>” He shouted, hitting the boulder violently “Are you there?”</p><p>He trusted the phenomenon of vibration, and hoped that Baekhyun would notice that somebody was outside. A dark thought crossed his head – what if Baekhyun noticed but didn’t come closer because he thought it was Magnus? No, Chanyeol told himself, this was Baekhyun, the brave, curious guy who needed to know what’s happening around him. He knocked a few times more, trying out a reverberating chant. He had to use his chants wisely – the invisibility chants were wearing him off.</p><p>Thirty-nine minutes left, Chanyeol calculated with a sinking heart that resembled the sun, waving goodbye to the sky and heading for sleep. Magnus could be back any minute now. Chanyeol didn’t want to be served as the main course at his boyfriend’s wedding feast.</p><p>Another minute ticked by and Chanyeol had just given hope when there was a tiny voice on the other side, <em>“Chanyeol?”</em> His eyes widened, his heartbeat shooting off on a marathon. He dropped to his knees and placed his ear against the boulder.</p><p>“Baekhyun? Can you hear me?”</p><p>
  <em>“Y-yes.”</em>
</p><p>It sounded like he was crying. Chanyeol wanted to cry, too but he had to wait, “I’m going to get you out of here, but you need to cast a silencing charm on the boulder. I know you don’t have a wand but can you do it?”</p><p>For a moment, there was no sound on the other side, before Baekhyun said, <em>“I can.”</em></p><p>Chanyeol sighed in relief, “Please cast it.” He didn’t wait to hear the chant. Instead, he pointed his wand to the huge rock separating him from his love and channelled all his anger towards that. That <em>damn </em>thing…separating him from Baekhyun, his love, who he hadn’t seen in three days. A stupid, annoying piece of ugly rock.</p><p>Lifting Pearl, he shouted the words – “<em>Open Sesame!” </em>It was an extraordinarily powerful and draining light chant with words made popular over the years of continuous speaking. The boulder shifted, but it didn’t make much sound, thanks to Baekhyun’s silencing charm. The remains of the sunlight cast into the cave, but Chanyeol didn’t need it.</p><p>Not when he had his own light – Byun Baekhyun, standing there, looking so utterly beautiful in a white, bridal gown, sandal straps wound around his delicate ankles and so many pieces of jewellery – two rings, one bracelet, a delicate necklace, a beautiful anklet, dangling earrings – and his sea-green wide eyes <em>shone </em>in the dark, glimmering, beautiful, perfect.</p><p>As delicate as moonlight, as powerful as the sun, as constant as the stars – that was Baekhyun.</p><p>Chanyeol couldn’t hold himself back, he threw his arms around the boy, bringing him close until he could breathe the rose fragrance on his skin. He shut his eyes, just for a moment, and breathed in that scent that he had missed so much.</p><p>“I love you,” Chanyeol gasped out, “Fuck, I love you so much. I missed you-”</p><p>“I thought you had left me,” Baekhyun choked out, shaking against him, “You didn’t look back when you left. I – I didn’t know what to think…”</p><p>Chanyeol took in a sharp breath, “If I’d looked back, I wouldn’t have been able to leave, Baek.”</p><p>“I missed -”</p><p>Suddenly, a recognizable, unwelcomed, and fearful voice bellowed, “How dare you!” They parted immediately. Chanyeol was able to see Baekhyun for a second, his eyes so, so fearful and that made him angrier. He dug into his pocket for Baekhyun’s wand, and thrust it into his hands –</p><p>“We’ll make it.”</p><p>Magnus was still far, but he was getting closer. Chanyeol knew that they had to face him at one point, even if it was for a small time. The invisibility chants had worn off, and everything stood in the open.</p><p>“Baek, listen,” Chanyeol grabbed his arms, “We somehow get past him. When we touch the sand on the beach, we’d get picked up and get out of here.” Baekhyun nodded, even though the details were unclear. But he knew what they had to do – <em>improvise.</em></p><p>He pointed Aqua, loving the familiar weight in his hands, before pointing it on the patch of land in front of Magnus, “<em>Watch out for the banana peel!” </em>Magnus, who stomped with furrowed eyebrows and a burning temper towards them, paused as his world flipped over and he lay on the ground.</p><p>“Let’s go!” Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun, the latter struggled in his wedding dress, but they were fast. Magnus got up when Chanyeol cast the same chant again. It only worked with heavy people, and luckily, Magnus was by no means <em>light. </em>Along the way, Baekhyun might’ve let out a few chuckles, but he couldn’t help but.</p><p>But the smile fell off his face when Magnus successfully got up, holding onto a tree that he unrooted easily, swinging it around –</p><p>“You dare steal <em>my </em>bride?” Steam came out from his nostrils and his eyes were bloodshot with pure, unadulterated rage. He let out a shout before moving towards Chanyeol with a little <em>tree </em>in his bulging arms. The taller boy looked around, but there was nothing they could do. He pushed Baekhyun to the floor –</p><p>“Duck!”</p><p>Magnus passed them over, and stopped, turning his head around like a lost child, before he sniffed like a dog. In that time, Chanyeol had gotten to his feet, a hand extended to Baekhyun, who grabbed it, and they ran. <em>They could do it</em>, he thought as he panted, his cheeks heating up, <em>they could make it out!</em></p><p>Behind him, Magnus howled and threw the tree sideways. Time stopped for Chanyeol and his body froze. Nothing came to his mind except his favourite quote that wanted on his tomb.</p><p>Seconds passed.</p><p>But he wasn’t dead.</p><p>Unsure why he hadn’t ascended to heaven or hell, he looked around and his eyes stilled on the boy next to him. Baekhyun had his wand up, eyebrows furrowed, a strange, serene concentration on his face. A golden, transparent wall stood between them and the tree.</p><p>They were safe.</p><p>Baekhyun held Chanyeol’s hands and they ran. Behind them, Magnus raced like a madman but all of his tricks were countered with chants. He had no weapon and, in a way, it was an unfair fight, but then again –</p><p>Everything was fair in love and war.</p><p>This ticked both boxes.</p><p>As their feet touched the sand, Magnus caught up to them and his hands reached out Baekhyun’s arm, “Here you are -!” Chanyeol took out Aurora’s book from his duffel bag and swung the thing, throwing it at Magnus’s face. Bingo. It hit him in the eye. He let go of Baekhyun immediately, holding onto his eyes instead, “Ow!”</p><p>They didn’t stay to hear another word. Freisty flew up to them, and Chanyeol spared Baekhyun a second to take it in – the sight of a flying dragon moving towards them.</p><p>“Baekhyun, grab my hand!” The boy followed and when Freisty lowered enough, he jumped onto her back, his lover in tow, before he pulled the reins and Freisty took off. Magnus wailed and howled below them, but they didn’t care for soon, those sounds faded in the background too. They had lost their duffel bags, so they had no clothes, no water, and no food.</p><p>But the world didn’t matter as Baekhyun’s cold hands held onto Chanyeol’s waist, their wands and that damned book of Aurora with them, atop a red-scaled dragon and they flew towards the moon. </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Per aspera ad astra - Through hardships to the stars</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 31 October (51 days left)</strong>
</p><p>Through the edge of his vision, Chanyeol could see Baekhyun’s dress flapping around them, a constant reminder of what had almost happened. The adrenaline had worn off and his stomach was groaning in demand of food, this throat parched from the quick wind and his face raw and red from the cold, which sobered him. His hand had found Baekhyun’s ringed fingers holding onto the shredded hoodie Chanyeol wore, and he had encased them in his own, using the last of his will to summon some heat to warm Baekhyun, whose pale, slender shoulders were exposed to the biting winds, up.</p><p>He wasn’t sure if it was working, but Baekhyun didn’t complain. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t. The air was too strong. They had tried talking to each other, but the roaring winds silenced their wishes. And they didn’t have enough energy left to shout.</p><p>Chanyeol looked up ahead. They were so close to the sky, the stars and the moon. Serenity washed over him, but tiredness drowned him, so he was glad when Freisty’s heavy wings slowed down. She let out a shrill sound and behind him, Baekhyun’s hands tightened around his waist, thighs clenching down on the dragon.</p><p>Chanyeol realized what that meant, and he secured the book of Aurora, and his wand before holding onto Freisty. He had only ridden a dragon once, back when he was thirteen and Yoora had just received her license, and that time, he wasn’t the one on the reins.</p><p>Freisty swerved and flapped her wings once before bending her head down. Chanyeol tried to breathe through his nose as the fear of the heights, the sudden racing of his heart and fierce winds rose together. For a few seconds, everything stopped.</p><p>And then, the dragon dipped down, sliding through the winds, and swerving through anything that came in the path. Chanyeol screamed at the top of his lungs, winds racing by his air and blood rushing to his face. They were going to crash, break into a million pieces and die.</p><p>But they didn’t. As soon as it started, it was all over. They were at the edge of the woods, fields running in all directions – somewhere near Crosswords, but Chanyeol couldn’t <em>think </em>then. He stumbled off the dragon, ran into a tree, dropped to his knees, and puked his guts out.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you’re okay?”</p><p>Baekhyun asked him for the millionth time that night, and Chanyeol would have been annoyed if he didn’t understand the reason behind his concern. After he had puked, he had cleaned it all up with the little magic he could muster before passing out. When he had woken up, he’d found that Baekhyun had tied the bridal train to two trees, and laid it on the ground to resemble a tent, since they had no supplies – no food, no water, no clothes.</p><p>Because of their situation or whatever had happened until now, Chanyeol had broken down into tears, worrying Baekhyun even more. And he had cried for a good hour until Freisty was fed up and flew away to enjoy the sky. After he was done crying, he had rolled up into a burrito and stared at the stars through the areas the train didn’t cover.</p><p>“I’m fine,” he gritted out, “Don’t worry.”</p><p>Baekhyun was torn, “How could I not worry when you’re shutting yourself off? You don’t do that ever.”</p><p>Chanyeol closed his eyes and turned on his side, “I’m tired. Let’s just sleep.”</p><p>Baekhyun sighed, “I’m trying, nerd…I’m trying.”</p><p>They were hungry and thirsty, but they didn’t have any more energy. Popping joints, cracked skin, bruised limbs, messy hair thanks to the wind-treatment they had received and tired eyes – but they could still not sleep. For a few minutes, they stayed silent, listening to faint sounds – not sure if they were imagining it all.</p><p>Then, Chanyeol turned towards Baekhyun with a sigh, “Just come here.” He spread his arms towards the handsome boy in front of him. No matter how blind a person – or a non-person – could be, nobody could resist Baekhyun’s charms. He looked ethereal under the partial moonlight, shining brightly in his white dress.</p><p>Chanyeol wanted to see the boy in marital dresses or suits…but not like this.</p><p>Baekhyun moved closer into his arms, “I’m glad magic allows brushing, otherwise I wouldn’t have touched you.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled drunkenly, “Neither. I hate being messy.”</p><p>“Not every kind of messy is bad,” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, “If you know what I mean.” He looked cute there – even if he was horny – and Chanyeol had another one of his moments where the world faded away and it was all Baekhyun.</p><p>“I love you; you know?” Chanyeol dropped a kiss onto his forehead, a soft, warm touch against freezing skin. Baekhyun frowned –</p><p>“I’m legit suggesting sex right now, and then you become mushy and stuff,” Baekhyun complained. The words, admittedly, made Chanyeol halt a little, but he regained his composure quick –</p><p>“First, I’m not even eighteen. Second, we’re tired, go to sleep. Third,” he pouted lightly, “If you don’t like me mushy, then you can’t have me.”</p><p>Baekhyun blinked at him before bursting out into laughter, “You’re so cute, oh my god.”</p><p>“Yes, I am.” Chanyeol stated, “I wish you were cuter.”</p><p>Baekhyun snorted, “Excuse me. I’m the cutest here.”</p><p>“You’re delusional.”</p><p>“Maybe,” Baekhyun agreed, a childish glimmer in his eyes, “That’s why I’m in love with you, aren’t you? Should’ve just married Magnus.”</p><p>Chanyeol elbowed him in the gut, painfully, “That’s not funny.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes lost their glimmer and his smile fell, a crease on his forehead and he bowed his head. Chanyeol knew he was lost in his memories. The taller boy had heard Magnus mumble to himself, and knew how he must have made Baekhyun feel. It still angered him. But it was better to think about avoiding the thorns that lay ahead, rather than the thorns they had already stepped on. He slipped his hands in Baekhyun’s, and leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips –</p><p>“Look up, Baekhyun.” He tugged their joined hands towards the boundless sky, and the million stars that watched over them. Times may change, but the stars would always remain. Chanyeol wanted to be like them stars for his lover. “<em>Per aspera ad astra, </em>Baekhyun. Through hardships to the stars.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun parted the long, overgrown grass as they walked. The sun was high, a little dull in the autumn winds. His marital dress, cut to his calf, caught the wind, and stuck onto bristles and bushes, but Chanyeol, who walked behind him, fixed his clothes. Walking in those sandals wasn’t comfortable, but walking in ripped sneakers, like Chanyeol, would’ve been even more difficult.</p><p>“Are you sure we should do this?” Chanyeol asked, the ever-introverted one, “I don’t think anybody would appreciate an ex-heir on the run wearing a bridal dress, and the missing, supposed lawful good brother of a curse-breaker to barge into their houses.”</p><p>Baekhyun blew a strand of his hair from his face, “Don’t be mistaken, Park. We are not barging into anybody’s house, but, like lawfully good people, we are going to knock.”</p><p>“Don’t call me ‘Park.’”</p><p>“As you wish nerd,” Baekhyun halted, and hitched his dress to his knees, “How do girls even wear dresses? I swear, it’s a crime on its own.”</p><p>“They probably don’t walk in the field while wearing them.”</p><p>Baekhyun rolled his eyes, “Yeah, whatever.” He shook the taller boy away and looked at the house in the middle of the fields. It wasn’t a cottage similar to his own – no, it was a small, cute house, “We must not worry about being outcasts, nerd. The people who live here don’t seem to be citizens either.”</p><p>Chanyeol shivered, “Then, we should turn back. I don’t want to fight with rogues when you’re dressed up like Cinderella and I look like a beggar.”</p><p>“They don’t need to be rogues, genius. And believe me, if they are, then I doubt our clothes would be the first worry.”</p><p>Soon, they reached the fence surrounding the tiny, yellow-cemented house. It had a chimney on top from which black smoke blew out, and little pots of pink and yellow flowers hung by the door. The curtains were open so they couldn’t see anything from the window.</p><p>“Do we just…?” Chanyeol pointed towards the short fence and imitated a hopping rabbit.</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “Pretend to be someone from Kratos and jump the fence.”</p><p>“Kratos is the house of strength, not of criminals and idiots,” Chanyeol countered, “Besides getting across won’t be considered jumping for me. It’s so short. Who did they think they’d keep out? Snails?”</p><p>“Snails could just crawl from the gaps, nerd,” Baekhyun flicked his forehead, before he hitched his dress higher, revealing his smooth, white and <em>soft </em>skin. Baekhyun swung one leg across, and then the other. The white fabric of his dress went up a little higher than necessary. “Don’t look that down, idiot,” Baekhyun ordered, his face flushed with red.</p><p>Chanyeol was very – uh – <em>uncomfortable.</em></p><p>He climbed over the fence, stumbling a little, because Baekhyun was giving him a look, before gaining his stance, “I wasn’t looking…<em>intentionally.”</em></p><p>Baekhyun didn’t say anything, and Chanyeol left it at that. They moved towards the door and discovered that there was no sort of bell.</p><p>Chanyeol frowned at the door, raising his hand hesitantly, “Do we just -?”</p><p>Baekhyun rapped his fingers on the door, “Excuse me! Can you open the door?” Chanyeol flinched at his loud voice, and he grasped Baekhyun’s shoulders –</p><p>“I thought we were going to be lawfully good people.” He reminded, an edge to his voice, as he looked from Baekhyun, who had his eyebrows furrowed, to the door.</p><p>“We are-”</p><p>“You’re breaking their door!”</p><p>Before Baekhyun could counter, there was another voice, “Aw, now come on, this door is durable, made of hardwood. You can’t break it easily.”</p><p>They turned towards the newcomer: a tall man with a prominent moustache, burnt skin, and deep-set stormy eyes. Baekhyun gasped –</p><p>“You’re – you’re that man!”</p><p>Chanyeol frowned, “Do you know him?”</p><p>“Yes – oh, I mean no. I don’t know his name, but-” Baekhyun let a shaky breath out, “You’re the one who taught me English, the one that visited that old man back on Earth.”</p><p>Chanyeol knew bits of the story. Baekhyun had never been illiterate because he was tutored by a young man who visited the cottage near his when he was younger, and apparently, they were meeting that man <em>here, </em>a world apart.</p><p>“You might have mistaken him,” Chanyeol said, but Baekhyun pressed on –</p><p>“No, it is <em>him</em>.”</p><p>The man didn’t let him argue further. He smiled and spread his arms, “Indeed. I am the one who tutored you when you were younger,” he stepped back, and gestured for them to step in, “And even if you remember my name, I know yours…Byun Baekhyun.”</p><p>Baekhyun stepped in immediately, but Chanyeol was cautious, “And who are you?”</p><p>A far away look spanned the man’s face when he said, “Nicolas Bethan Zade.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> “You’re Professor Vaz’s cousin?” Chanyeol asked, not believing that the world could be so small.</p><p>Nicolas shrugged, “That is not the tag I expected to be given, but yes, I am his cousin. We, the Zades, are not a small family, Park Chanyeol. We’ve existed over generations, people in power. We’ve ruled over the kingdom of Aurora until they formed the two councils,” he clicked his tongue, “I suppose you didn’t learn that in school.”</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, “History…is a sensitive subject for us, I guess. Everything’s covered up, so we don’t really understand it.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, it’s not that pretty,” Nicolas said, “I’m sure you know the Zade family has Veyshigi roots. My family is very into dark magic, old heirlooms, and centuries-old curses.”</p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun shared a look, before the latter spoke, “Do you perhaps know the Aurorian Myth?”</p><p>“There are many of them. Which one are you talking about?”</p><p>“The main one, related to Aurora herself. The cycle and the curses.”</p><p>Nicolas’s face darkened, “I do. I know both of you are sufferers, it’s obvious.”</p><p>Chanyeol glanced down at his clothes, “We…definitely aren’t in the best shape.”</p><p>“No, even if you were, no Aurorian would’ve stepped out of the boundaries of their home. It’s instilled in our blood that we must be peaceful, must not question further than what we are told,” Nicolas hesitated, “I have Veyshigi blood in me. I questioned further. Questions led to questions and I found no answers, so I came here, away from the people who weren’t like me.”</p><p>“May I ask what you questioned?” Baekhyun fumbled with his hands. Chanyeol didn’t know why he was so nervous. He got that this man was Baekhyun’s teacher and his boyfriend probably felt like he had to present his best self in front of him…but he didn’t like it.</p><p>“I questioned everything, Baekhyun.” A smile graced his lips, “From why the stars are colourful to how many worlds could be there to how far could we go to how many questions could we ask. I’ve never received many answers, but I’m happy that I’ve questioned. Do you know why?”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because today, I have thrown some blind stones. Tomorrow, somebody might arrange them.” He shrugged, “You have to throw some stones first.”</p><p>Baekhyun and Chanyeol stayed mum, mulling over those words and Nicolas stood up, a knowing smile on his face, “Well, you guys could use a rest. There’s a guest room down the hall. You could shower, and I’ll lay some clothes for you. I was just cooking when you came, so let’s talk more after eating.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The room was a decent shade of cream, small but comfortable, with a double bed placed in the centre and a wooden wardrobe in the corner. There was a fluffy carpet on the foot of the bathroom door which had a cute bunny over it. Baekhyun smiled, moving to the centre –</p><p>“It’s so nice.” Everything was nice after having slept in cottages, caves, and wilderness for some weeks. The windows let in some soft sunlight. For a day, Baekhyun wanted to shower, eat, and just kiss Chanyeol before drifting to sleep. “I love it.”</p><p>Chanyeol had a soft look on his face as he observed Baekhyun, “I’d shower first, is that okay?”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, “Definitely! Take your time.”</p><p>The taller boy opened the bathroom and the fragrance of lemon drifted into the room. Chanyeol grinned, “I love <em>good </em>bathrooms,” and stepped in. After a bit of fumbling and cursing, Baekhyun could finally hear the water running. He chuckled, before splaying over the bed, staring at the fan above. The sheets smelt like soap, and they were very cosy.</p><p>A few minutes of heaven later, footsteps sounded at his door and Nicolas peaked in, “Could you help me with your sizes, please?”</p><p>Baekhyun sprung up, “Uh, sure!”</p><p>Nicolas smiled at him, before leading him to his bedroom, which was entirely different than the guest room. The walls were white and covered with shelves; at a glance, Baekhyun could see potted flowers, books, pictures, pens, paperclips, shining orbs, leaves in a jar – and so many things. His bed was huge and high, with red, satin covers and the floors were carpeted with a lavender-coloured rug. On the side was a wooden desk, with scrolls, open books, teabags all jumbled together.</p><p>“It’s very… colourful,” Baekhyun commented.</p><p>Nicolas laughed, “You don’t need to be so formal. I am aware it is a mess.”</p><p>Baekhyun chuckled, “Maybe, but it’s still very alive.” He blinked, “Does that make sense?”</p><p>“It does,” Nicolas said, sliding the door of his wardrobe open, “It really does.”</p><p>It felt like he was hinting at something deeper, but Baekhyun didn’t understand, and Nicolas didn’t push the matter further. He got out a pair of clothes –</p><p>“Will this fit you?”</p><p>“Oh – I have broader shoulders.”</p><p>Nicolas threw the clothes back and fumbled around in his wardrobe, “Broader shoulders, hmm. Oh, I think this is your size.” He displayed the clothes – a plain, white top and olive cargo pants, with black straps.</p><p>Baekhyun smiled, “It will work.”</p><p>He handed the clothes over, before going back to the closet, “For your friend… I remember I had a tall cousin at home. I must have his clothes…here it is!” Baekhyun grabbed the plaid, green-blue-black shirt and black jeans for Chanyeol.</p><p>“Thank you!”</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Nicolas smiled, “Although, if I’m allowed to, may I ask why you are wearing a wedding dress?”</p><p>Baekhyun bit his lips, “I might have almost gotten married.”</p><p>Nicolas frowned, “Oh, I’m sorry I thought Chanyeol was just your friend.”</p><p>“No, he – I mean, he’s my boyfriend,” Baekhyun fumbled with words, “But he isn’t the one I was forced to marry.”</p><p>“Then?”</p><p>Baekhyun was about to speak when he decided against it, smiling at his teacher instead, “I’ll leave you with the question hanging. We’ll talk more at breakfast.”</p><p>Nicolas’s eyes sparkled, “You’ve grown,” he chuckled, “Now, go and rest up a bit until the food is ready.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“What took you so long?” Chanyeol’s voice greeted him as he entered the bedroom and shut the door. And immediately, he wanted to go out again.</p><p>Chanyeol was sitting on the edge of the bed, naked except for the towel wrapped around his pelvis. Droplets of water dripped down his hair, down his chin, down his collarbone, down his hard –</p><p>“Don’t look <em>that </em>down, Baek.” Chanyeol teased, “I know I’m irresistible, but you’ve got to try.”</p><p>All the <em>nice </em>thoughts – Baekhyun swore they were nice thoughts and not…anything else – in his mind crashed to the ground and he marched over to Chanyeol, delivering a well-aimed punch on his gut.</p><p>“Shut up, idiot.”</p><p>“I can shut you up.” Chanyeol’s skin was flushed, but he tried to maintain that confident image.</p><p>Baekhyun just smiled at him, before drawing his wand out, <em>“Pin-drop silence.” </em>Chanyeol’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.</p><p>“Now that we can see who’s the dominant here, I’ll go and take a shower.” He handed Chanyeol his clothes, “Nicolas gave these to you. Wear them and sit like a good boy. I won’t take long.”</p><p>He entered the bathroom and locked the door from the inside, leaving Chanyeol stunned into silence – literally and figuratively.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>There was a comfortable silence around the dining room – or okay, even if something was weird, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were too busy gobbling down their food like starved wolves to notice it. Nicolas stared at them for a long time, eating his food silently, before he coughed –</p><p>“Now, can I know why you were getting married?”</p><p>Chanyeol choked on his food, and Baekhyun snorted at him, which resulted in him choking too.</p><p>Nicolas’s eyes passed over them, and he shrugged, “Uh…maybe, this is not an appropriate time.” He sounded one breath away from bursting out into laughter.</p><p>Baekhyun gulped down the glass of water near him, “No, it’s fine. We’re just, a little-”</p><p>“Dumb,” Chanyeol supplied.</p><p>Baekhyun tapped his finger in the air, “Yeah. That.” He said, before he launched into a casual narrative of their disappointing life so far, with Chanyeol supplying his nerdish speech in between. Once they were done, Nicolas nodded –</p><p>“This is all quite dangerous,” he said, “But I’d like to help you, in what little ways I can. I suggest the first thing you do is go through Aurora’s diary; I’d love to read it too, but only after you’re done.” Baekhyun was grateful for the independence he gave them. He remained approachable but didn’t invade their privacy. Right now, they were in a sensitive place. It was hard to trust people; and harder to add people to their duo, because Baekhyun and Chanyeol had a synergy that worked best when it was only them together.</p><p>And they wanted to preserve that.</p><p>“Thank you,” Chanyeol bowed lightly, it was obvious he was sincere, “For letting us use your room, too.”</p><p>Nicolas waved it away like it was no big deal, “Don’t mind it, please. I’ve been feeling a little lonely myself. It is nice to have people around me,” he paused and licked his lips, “And this might be a little personal, but I request you stay here for two nights. I know time is running out, but with the way you look…you won’t be able to do much. I have extra clothes both of you can wear and a lot of reading material and maps that might come handy.”</p><p>Baekhyun thought about it. They didn’t have much time left. Delaying wouldn’t be good.</p><p>But Nicolas was right. They weren’t in good shape. One glance at Chanyeol revealed his dark circles, sunken cheeks, overgrown hair, and exhaustion.</p><p>“We’ll stay,” Baekhyun decided, “You’re correct. We need to refresh ourselves, and rest tons.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Sunday, 1 November (50 days left until Winter Solstice)</strong>
</p><p>Resting was boring after living each day like it was his last.</p><p>Nicolas had handed them two pairs of matching pyjamas which they had changed into immediately, and now, Baekhyun leaned against the bed frame, surrounded by pillows and tried to focus on the rom-com he was reading. But compared to his life, it appeared to be very dull. Chanyeol sat on the desk, eyes focused onto Aurora’s book and a notepad in his hands. Baekhyun couldn’t believe they had worked so hard for <em>books. </em>While the entire concept of Crosswords was books, he had only come to understand just how powerful they were.</p><p>He yawned. The sun had just set, but he was tired and weary. The room was lit in a comfortable yellow and pink glow, thanks to some orbs. But he couldn’t sleep without Chanyeol.</p><p>“Are you done-?”</p><p>“No.” The reply was curt and stern, leaving no room for him to press further. He sighed, turning his attention to the empty walls. He missed his room back at the Academy, from where he could watch kids his age play in the fields, where the sound of cheery people carried along, where the walls had you read unexpected things – it was a place full of surprises, a place where boredom didn’t exist. He missed his friends, their entire gang. They must be worried. By now, Chanyeol’s parents must be worried too. He wondered how their friends and Yoora had handled everything.</p><p> His mind flickered back to the day at the Maple Leaf – the map. Every little moving dot on that map probably thought of him as a betrayer now, a <em>criminal. </em>And maybe, he was one. He had used dark magic; it had flowed through his wand.</p><p>But he didn’t think of himself as guilty. In his vision, whatever he was doing was correct and would remain that way. Because he had sacrificed things. And why would he sacrifice his happiness, his comfort, his friends just to become a criminal? Did they ever think of that?</p><p>Probably not. Who thinks of other people and the reasons behind their actions anyway?</p><p>Suddenly, his heart dropped as the face of a man came into his mind.</p><p>
  <em>Elan.</em>
</p><p>His leader, his Peacemaker, his headmaster…his <em>father. </em>Baekhyun could never think of him without his heart hurting. Even in this cute, soft-lit room, the thought of Elan brought over a cloud of darkness.</p><p>
  <em>Only your light can fight the darkness you have created, and only you can create a door that will let you step out of your misery.</em>
</p><p>He had said that at their welcoming ceremony. Over the years, he had said a lot of words, but how many of them have been said from the heart? How many of them were true? He didn’t know. Elan had <em>morphed </em>Baekhyun, played him like a pawn, made him feel like he had a person to fall back upon if things went wrong, but he didn’t. He never did.</p><p>It was only him.</p><p>It had always been him.</p><p>Elan’s words repeated in his mind again, and Baekhyun gulped. Maybe Elan felt the same way he did. Maybe he felt like he had done nothing wrong. Maybe he got tired of pretending but thought it was all for Baekhyun, so he did it.</p><p>Maybe he had done it for so long because he knew that Baekhyun would feel <em>darkness </em>whenever his name was mentioned if Baekhyun knew.</p><p>And maybe, all Baekhyun had done was prove that those fears were legitimate.</p><p>He couldn’t hold it any longer. Nicolas was his first teacher, but Elan was more than that. He was something else for Baekhyun, something he could not explain with mere words. The thorn in his chest that was embedded ever since he’d learn the truth expanded, filling him with more darkness, and he tightened his fist.</p><p>He was the Bringer of Light. And he will bring light by ending this darkness –</p><p>“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun’s voice wobbled, and Chanyeol snapped his neck towards him, eyes wide with concern –</p><p>“Baek, are you-?”</p><p>He breathed out shakily, before making up his mind. Yes, he was ready for this. In a determined voice, he spoke, “Tell me everything that Elan told you. I need to know.”</p><p>Chanyeol sighed, getting up from the desk and moving over to the bed, “He told me I was the original heir, and not you. And when I asked him how it was possible, he told me that there were other characters to the story, ones that we didn’t know but that we’d find out – he meant Elijah. He brought you to Crosswords and handed you the mark of the ‘heir’ so that people accepted you, so that you got love and respect. He was proud, you know?” Chanyeol sounded helpless, “He’s so proud of you, he’s so in love with you. But he settled with watching over you from a distance, watching you grow because he knew you had a strong fight against you.”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t realize tears were streaming down his face, “And why? Why would he do all of this for an Earthren orphan?”</p><p>His lover held his chin and looked at him in the eye, “He’s your biological father, Baek.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol had a protocol that he followed whenever faced with challenges – retreat, reorder, <em>raze. </em>He had applied it to every problem – from opening a strawberry jam to getting Baekhyun out of marriage with a dragon-giant hybrid.</p><p>But, in situations like this, he was completely helpless.</p><p>Baekhyun sobbed into his shirt, inconsolable. His delicate body shivered in Chanyeol’s hands and his broken cries stabbed knives at his heart. Baekhyun’s beautiful hands reached out for him, holding his shoulders, punching his chest – he was a complete mess.</p><p>“Why – why didn’t he – he tell me?” Baekhyun asked so many questions, and Chanyeol couldn’t answer even one of them, “I thought I didn’t – didn’t have a fucking family. I didn’t <em>know – </em>I hated, really hated, myself.” His sobs were so heartbroken. Chanyeol felt undeniable rage towards Elan. No matter what the Peacemaker thought his plan was, if it hurt Baekhyun like <em>this, </em>if it <em>broke </em>down one of the strongest persons in the universe and reduced to this sobbing mess, then it wasn’t worth it.</p><p>Chanyeol hated that Elan had the key to hurt Baekhyun like this.</p><p>Whoever caused Baekhyun to ache and cry…wasn’t worth it.</p><p>Chanyeol ran his fingers through his hair, muttering a constant stream of, “Baek, hush” but he had no right to stop him from crying. Baekhyun had to let it all out, but it was so painful to watch. Chanyeol would rather go through the pain of being almost killed, he’d go through the back pain that came with sleeping on unconventional places and he’d go with the pain of being away from Baekhyun during summers –</p><p>-        If Baekhyun could be happy.</p><p>Baekhyun hiccupped in his arms and panted for air. Chanyeol rubbed his arms down his back, trying his best to comfort him. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t say things like ‘you’ll be fine’, ‘you’re okay’, ‘I love you’ because it didn’t fucking matter.</p><p>Chanyeol himself had a nice, functional family. How could he ever understand Baekhyun’s pain? Baekhyun, who lived with a lady who was completely different from him, and sure, she loved him and he loved her, but it wasn’t <em>enough. </em>Then, there’s this one headmaster that comforted him and he tried hard to become the best at everything to impress him. He tried to do everything he could to gain validation…to feel like he was important to this one adult who could take the role of a father for him.</p><p>But, no, this man was his <em>real </em>father.</p><p>Ever since the day, Chanyeol had come to know this, he had been troubled. It was a big bomb, one that he couldn’t drop onto anyone, so he had hidden it inside his heart, written it out on pages before tearing them apart. He had dreamt of this conversation and how he would comfort Baekhyun –</p><p>-        but this wasn’t a ‘quest’ or a ‘challenge’ that he had to win.</p><p>No, this was something more, based on emotions, perspectives, people and love. Chanyeol’s grandpa had told him that a little dash of love could tear worlds apart. It was that <em>one </em>ingredient that made messy things even messier, it made everything complex, made aligned stars break apart.</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t know how emotional he got until a sob slipped out of his lips. Baekhyun looked at him, broken eyes, but still reaching out for him –</p><p>“I’m s-sorry,” he spoke, a tear slipping down, “I don’t know why – I can’t-”</p><p>Chanyeol shook his head, tilting his face down until his lips were on Baekhyun’s forehead, “Don’t apologize…please. Cry as much as you want, I’ll hold you. And I’ll never let go. It hurts to see you in pain, and I’m sorry for – for not delivering this in the best way-”</p><p>Baekhyun chuckled darkly, “Believe me, no matter how he delivered it – I – I’d probably be a m-mess!” He was speaking good until his voice shook and cracked at the last word, and he broke into more sobs, “I’m sad and I’m angry! I could’ve lived with him here. Fuck this heir bullshit, I don’t want protection. I just wanted…I just want a family.”</p><p>Chanyeol hugged him hard, and buried his face into Baekhyun’s neck, breathing in his scent as Baekhyun continued –</p><p>“Is it…that hard, Chanyeol? I want to understand him,” his voice was rough, but his sobs had subsided, “But I can’t. I don’t know the story. If he’s my father, who’s the mother. I don’t know his life, and how it was. But he <em>knows </em>everything about me,” his voice cracked again, “Aren’t I just…a pawn for him?”</p><p>Chanyeol hesitated. When he had talked to Elan, the man had teared up, his eyes so fond when he mentioned Baekhyun, his smile so special. But love wasn’t enough. Logically, Baekhyun was right, but the fond look in Elan’s eyes – the memory didn’t leave.</p><p>“I don’t know, Baek.” And he hated not knowing, “He’s the only one who could answer all your questions.”</p><p>The look on Baekhyun’s face – it was something that he wanted to never see again. He didn’t like the utter pain on his features that were meant to smile and laugh, and not cry.</p><p>“But I can’t – can’t ask him, because he’s not here,” he sobbed, pressing himself into Chanyeol’s chest, “He was never here, and he’s still not here.”</p><p>“Baek…” Chanyeol kissed his head, and massaged his shoulders, but tonight, Baekhyun wanted something more. He wanted his father.</p><p>“And I still have only one question that I want to ask him,” Baekhyun sniffed, his face compulsed, “I’d ask him, <em>why?”</em></p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 2 November (49 days left)</strong>
</p><p>Nicolas greeted them with a bright smile when they stepped out for breakfast the next morning, but his smile fell off when he noticed they looked worse than they had when they went for sleep.</p><p>“Did something happen?” He asked, glancing at both of them, holding up a cup of coffee that he put to his lips. </p><p>“Yeah, I found out that the Peacemaker is my biological father,” Baekhyun spat out, and Nicolas choked, spluttering out nonsensical words. It was funny how all three of them had choked once in two days. </p><p>“Elan?” Nicolas’s eyes were saucers, “Am I hearing right?”</p><p>“Yes, you are,” Chanyeol confirmed, sitting on his chair, “I don’t know why he sent Baekhyun to the earth or proclaimed him as the ‘heir’ when he’s not. It just doesn’t make sense.”</p><p>Nicolas was thoughtful as he sat down, placing cups of much-required tea in front of them, “Drink up,” he asked before kneading his temple, “How old are you Baekhyun?”</p><p>“I turned eighteen this May.”</p><p>“Two-thousand and two, then,” Nicolas chuckled, “It’s so strange to imagine kids being born after two-thousand. I thought they were like toddlers, but no, the time had definitely passed since I was in college. Elan was a year younger than me, but his son grew up to be a handsome, young man while I’m still single. I’d probably remain single…” Baekhyun heard his story, but he didn’t say anything. He wasn’t interested in hearing middle-aged men have their mid-life crisis when he had bigger issues.</p><p>Nicolas probably sensed that because he switched the topic, “I do remember Elan, though. He was very bright, the strongest in our school, the most brilliant. He was the one that got the most invitations for balls, festivals and so many gifts and letters on his birthdays, because he’s got looks, you know? Although, in the past, he appeared more youthful, more of a ‘hot, pretty boy’ then the unbreakable image he has around him. He didn’t show up at any balls or festivals, but he helped to prepare them.”</p><p>It wasn’t relevant but Baekhyun heard every word closely, trying to imprint it all to his memory. This was his father. This was the man who made Baekhyun. So, he heard. </p><p>“He had a small cottage at the edge of Crosswords, much like you did, but in a better state,” Nicolas smiled softly, “While he was popular because of how he looked and his powerful chanting, he wasn’t liked.”</p><p>Chanyeol leaned forward, “My mother told me that, too. He remained kind, but people despised him. Now that I think of it, she never mentioned why.”</p><p>“It has to do with blood, Chanyeol. Much like the Zade family, he wasn’t a pure Aurorian. The bloodline started from another place, but then it became Veyshigi-dominant, before going through a generation of Earthren, and then coming to Aurora,” he shrugged, “That is why Elan let his name die.”</p><p>“Is it ‘Byun’? Aisha said I had the name smeared on my elbow,” he looked up with hopeful eyes, awaiting an explanation. </p><p>“Byun is not Elan’s bloodline, but it might be your mother’s name. It is not a common one, so…there might be a chance to trace it,” Nicolas’s eyes sparkled, he had found his new puzzle, “Yes, I shall do that.”</p><p>Baekhyun was grateful for it, but he needed to find out something, “Then what is Elan’s family name?”</p><p>Nicolas looked at him, and smiled, “It has changed a lot over years, Baekhyun. But it has always meant one thing – love,” he said, “His family name is Amare.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>That afternoon, Baekhyun lay on the bed with his eyes closed. He felt calm as he pondered over all the thoughts in his mind, one by one. His nerdy boyfriend was reading the damn Aurora’s book. At this point, Baekhyun was jealous of it. Chanyeol didn’t glance at him even once while reading it. </p><p>As if the world had planned to prove him wrong, Chanyeol stood up, “Baekhyun, fuck. This is not good.” He came over to him and sat on the bed, shoving the book in his face, and Baekhyun shook it away –</p><p>“I’m not going to read that much,” he stated, arms crossed, “What did you read?”</p><p>Chanyeol took in a deep breath, “Baek, I have no way to explain this, but I’ll try. This is such a triggering book. I don’t even want to read it, but I have no option. Baek, this woman is crazy – I mean, when I’m reading through her point of view, I understand but she’s crazy-”</p><p>“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said softly, “You’re rambling.”</p><p>The taller boy looked distressed. Baekhyun pulled his larger hand into his own and caressed it, “Tell me everything, slowly.”</p><p>Chanyeol gulped and nodded, “So, she drowned Elijah. I had to read an entire after-drowning regret and self-reflection. And she said that she wanted peace, and to be set free, so she had to drown the chains. And that it hurt her, but she did it anyway.”</p><p>“What the fuck,” Baekhyun stated.</p><p>“Exactly, you get it, right? And then, this guy, Viscaris is like ‘I want to die.’ That’s legit him through the entirety of this. He wants to die but she keeps promising him ‘peace,’ but nothing has happened yet. So, I don’t know, things happen the way one thing leads onto another and they’re at Viscaris’s cave, and they have a fight where Viscaris is like ‘You can’t ever give me peace because you’re tainted yourself, and I was a dumb fool to not see it,’ and she keeps fighting with him because she loves him, and this is who she is. But Viscaris carries the pain of the entire place and it’s just too much for him with Elijah, Aurora and his pain added to it, and then the unthinkable happens.”</p><p>“What?” Baekhyun asked and when Chanyeol didn’t speak, he delivered a light punch on his shoulder, “Don’t leave me at a cliff-hanger!”</p><p>Chanyeol’s voice cracked, “He killed himself, Baek.”</p><p>The sunshine filtered into the room, dousing them in its warm glow. In the next room, Nicolas went through books with a big smile and the sun was bright over him. All their friends were probably sitting on the windowsills, awaiting some news, and the sun shone over them. </p><p>But the sunshine had not reached Viscaris’s empty, painful cave. </p><p>“And it was horrible to read through it, I wanted to stop but I had to find out what happened next,” he breathed loudly, consoling himself, “And it became worse.”</p><p>At this point, Baekhyun could only ask, “How?”</p><p>“They say love can drive you mad. To raze or to raise? Some lovers choose the former,” he sounded lost, “And that’s what Aurora did.”</p><p>“Did she kill him too?”</p><p>Chanyeol shook his head, “That would’ve been a happy ending, but no, she cursed him.”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t say anything, “So Elijah cursed Aurora that the cycle would continue. And Aurora cursed Viscaris – but wait, didn’t he die?”</p><p>Chanyeol smiled, but it wasn’t a happy one. It made the sun look pale, “At one point in the book, someone asks Viscaris why he wanted to die so desperately, and he put that man inside a box for sixty seconds, where he couldn’t breathe and was suffocated as fuck. And then he said, ‘you’ve just lived sixty seconds of my life.’”</p><p>Baekhyun bit his lips, “…I felt that.” Chanyeol nodded but he still hadn’t answered Baekhyun’s question, “What was Aurora’s curse towards Viscaris?”</p><p>“Immortality. She cursed the man who wanted to die with immortality.” </p><p>Baekhyun pressed his lips together, and gazed outside the window, glaring at the sky, “What a bitch.” </p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“And we have her as our patron.”</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t contain it anymore, “I don’t understand. There are deities, and why the fuck are there deities? You mean Viscaris is still alive after so many years? He’s still suffering. This makes me so angry, Chanyeol, I’m not kidding. I just want it…all to stop.”</p><p>“It gets worse,” Chanyeol said silently and Baekhyun wanted to ram his head into a wall, “Well, Aurora couldn’t promise that Viscaris’s body would stay together or not. But her curse worked differently.”</p><p>“Is it…horror?”</p><p>“Kind of.”</p><p>“Do I need to hear this?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Alright,” Baekhyun gestured for him to continue, “Go on.”</p><p>Chanyeol nodded, “Just like we hold the spirit of Aurora in Crosswords by making her the name on our currency, or naming everything after her and remembering her, or the temples and -”</p><p>“I get it,” Baekhyun interrupted, “She did something similar with Viscaris?”</p><p>“Kind of. She got ten objects that hold his spirit,” Chanyeol explained, “So, the only way to kill him and set him free would be by destroying all ten objects.”</p><p>Baekhyun wanted to cry, “She is evil. She is so unfair.”</p><p>“I know,” Chanyeol said, “But…when I was reading through the perspective, I didn’t think of it as wrong. And I don’t understand why but-”</p><p>“I get it,” Baekhyun placed his hand on Chanyeol’s shoulders, “I was having that debate with myself yesterday.”</p><p>Chanyeol brushed his hair away from his face, “And I kind of found out what the ten objects are.”</p><p>Baekhyun clapped his hands, “Really?”</p><p>“Yes, the entire diary is written with ink. But at some pages, there are numbers smeared with something which I’m sure is blood, and yes, that haunted me.” </p><p>Baekhyun didn’t know what to say to that. A year ago, he would’ve never thought he’d be talking about blood-smeared diaries, and curses. And how he wished he weren’t.</p><p>“So, the numbers represent the objects?” Baekhyun asked.</p><p>Chanyeol nodded, “I’m sure they do.” He didn’t sound too happy, but he brought the noted he was making, “Check this list out.”</p><p>Baekhyun read through it – Flos Pacis (Flower of Peace), dove, chains, cloak, locket – “I feel like I’m reading a weird eighteenth-century shopping list or something.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, “Just read it.”</p><p>The next item was Elijah’s Sword, and that sobered Baekhyun up. Scythe of Viscaris. He shivered as the memories of Chanyeol holding that scythe resurfaced and he drowned them again. Aurora’s regret. </p><p>“What is Aurora’s regret?”</p><p>“I’m not sure. After everything, she was looking at her face and thinking about her regrets. And she wrote an ‘eight’ there.” </p><p>“I see.” </p><p>Viscaris’ crown. He frowned, and Chanyeol must have read this look because he explained, “Veysigz has people too, you know? Less, but they are there. And they are angry at what Aurora has done, they only know Viscaris’s side of the story. So, I think Viscaris might have started a king, because he crowns the leader of his clan. They go to war for them.”</p><p>Before Baekhyun could read the last item, Chanyeol pulled the note away.</p><p>“Wait, why?”</p><p>Chanyeol hesitated, “This is the thing I’m nervous about the most.”</p><p>Baekhyun tilted his head, and looked at Chanyeol, trying to figure out what was going through his mind.</p><p>“There’s one last curse Baekhyun.” The shorter boy would have groaned if Chanyeol’s eyes weren’t a little misty, “And this one is by Viscaris when he discovered his spirit couldn’t die. He believed that Aurora was impure, tainted, a manipulator. He cursed her that her heirs…would always contain a part of him, so that she’d never be what she was supposed to be, the depiction of ‘peace’ and she’d never be what she wanted to be – ‘free.’ That is why…I have two of them inside me.”</p><p>There it was - the last puzzle pieces. It clicked now. It all made sense. Presented in front of them was the Aurorian Myth, the cycle, the curses – everything. But it didn’t bring Baekhyun satisfaction. He wasn’t thrilled that he had completed it. He wasn’t happy. </p><p>No, he was devastated.</p><p>“Wait, Chanyeol,” he gulped, afraid to even voice his next thoughts out, “The only way to stop it all is breaking the curses to break the cycle, which means, Viscaris needs to die.”</p><p>“Yes, he must die. He must be set free. And Aurora should also be free.” Chanyeol wasn’t looking at him. </p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes welled up and his next words came out as a whisper, “But you’re one of the ‘objects’ that hold his life, too. That implies that – that…”</p><p>“That I must die?” Chanyeol gulped, “I reached a similar conclusion.”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t say a word. They stood on a fine thread. A step forward would lead to a plunge for death, a step backwards would trigger a mine-explosion. </p><p>The sun wasn’t shining at them, even if it was a sunny afternoon. </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dis aliter visum - The gods thought otherwise</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Nicolas, who had given Baekhyun the knowledge of words, had none left to say. He fumbled through them, in search of something that could work, but there was nothing. Baekhyun felt like he had been doused with a bucket of ice-cold water. Nicolas’s silence was a whip that reminded him of just how messed up it all was.</p><p>He had two choices in front of him, and both were equally as unfavourable.</p><p>At last, Nicolas spoke, “I don’t know if I’m adding to this burden, but I’ve found out about the ‘Byun’ family,” Baekhyun took in a breath, preparing himself, “They’re Aurorian, by roots, but moved to Veysigz, the opposite of the Amare family.”</p><p>“Baekhyun’s mother might be in Veysigz?” Chanyeol asked, the first words he had spoken since that event.</p><p>Nicolas shrugged, “If she is alive, then yes. But I’m not sure. They say that the Byun family tree ended in 1971.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s brain did the math for him, “But, if you’re like in your early fifties, then Elan must be about the same age, right? Then, my mom would’ve been around the same age group, so she must have been born around that time. So, how did it end?”</p><p>Nicolas’s jaw dropped, “You are correct,” he paused before saying, “Your grandmother must not have had a son who could carry the name forward. Upon marrying, girls normally change their names, but your mom didn’t, or maybe, Elan wanted you to have the Korean roots instead?”</p><p>“Or maybe,” Baekhyun’s heart sank, “They never got married. I have never seen a ring on Elan’s finger.”</p><p>“That could be it too…”</p><p>“And he was ashamed for having a kid, so he sent me to Earth,” Baekhyun completed, clapping his hands humourlessly, “Makes perfect sense.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s hands were at his shoulders, “Don’t jump to conclusions, yet. We can’t stand to lose hope now.”  </p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t hold it in. He threw Chanyeol’s hands off his shoulders, “I <em>have </em>lost hope. What about it?” He laughed bitterly, “You won’t understand Chanyeol. My parents and heritage are a huge question mark. I was probably an unwanted kid. Every single person who made up this – this <em>happy </em>place for me, called Crosswords where I felt like I belonged, <em>hates </em>me now, and calls me a traitor and worse names. And my best friend and boyfriend, the only other person I have and was happy with, must die…maybe, by my own hands.” Tears rolled down his cheeks, angry, fiery, <em>bitter </em>tears, “There you go, Chanyeol. I’m done, I’m defeated, and I fucking have no hope left in me.”</p><p>It would have been better if he had shouted everything, but he didn’t. His voice was just as he felt, empty, void, bitter. He was back in Magnus’s cave, staring at the white sheet, feeling like he was <em>nothing </em>but an object to be toyed with.</p><p>Maybe, that’s what he always had been – just a pawn.</p><p>“Uhm – let’s not be like that, Baekhyun,” Nicolas started to speak but Chanyeol cut him off –</p><p>“It’s okay,” he said, “But could you please leave us alone for some time?”</p><p>Nicolas looked hurt, but he didn’t argue. He shut the door to their room, giving them their privacy. Baekhyun was storming, tears streaming down, an angry frown because he was angry and done. He had reached his limits, now. Let Elijah take over him and raise hell. Let the city burn. Let the ashes be buried in the ground. Generations had failed. They were nobody to <em>win.</em></p><p>“Baek,” Chanyeol was curt, direct, his eyes empty, “After everything we have done-”</p><p>“I don’t <em>care,</em> Chanyeol,” Baekhyun snarled, “Yes, we’ve done a lot and look where it has brought us. Nobody understands anything. I can’t – I won’t do this. No. I’ll stay here until we kill each other and the world ends.”</p><p>Chanyeol brow furrowed, “You’re being selfish.”</p><p>“Yes, I am! Nobody looks out for <em>me. </em>So, why should I? Answer me!” Baekhyun shouted. He wanted Chanyeol to understand and agree with him. This was the major war. Chanyeol had to take his side.</p><p>“That’s not true, Baek. People look out for you. Professor Grendel, Gret, Vaz, the kitchen staff, Kyungsoo, Jongin, Yixing – all our friends waiting for us. Yoora, my parents, your mom – everybody looks out for you.” Chanyeol counted them on his fingers.</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, “That’s not true. They just want their personal gain – the professors probably loved that they had apprentices they could teach whatever they wished to! Our friends? There’s nothing they could do. They won’t understand. And everybody else just liked me because I was the <em>heir</em>,” he spread his arms and laughed, “Isn’t that the truth? I’m all alone.”</p><p>Chanyeol stepped closer to him as Baekhyun exploded in sobs –</p><p>“They just…want me…for their own. They want – want what they <em>like,</em>” he sobbed, and Chanyeol pulled him to his chest, “They don’t want <em>me. </em>This – this is me.”</p><p>“No,” Chanyeol whispered, “This is not you.”</p><p>“Nobody understands me, Yeol,” Baekhyun looked up, “I feel like I’m a lone warrior in a storm. Nobody stays by me.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes flickered with something, “I do. I’d always stay with you. You keep telling me you’re alone, but I’m here, aren’t I? I was always here, right <em>here.</em>” He pointed at his heart, “<em>Always.” </em>His voice cracked a little.</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, hiding his face into the taller boy’s chest, “Yes, you are but-”</p><p>“But I’m not the one you want,” Chanyeol’s voice was soft, <em>feathery</em>. His chest was shaking, and Baekhyun wondered why he was laughing, but then something damp slid down his ear, and he realized Chanyeol was <em>crying, </em>“Because I am not the one who could comfort you. I’m not enough.”</p><p>Baekhyun pulled back but Chanyeol’s arms were tight around him, and he pleaded in a broken voice –</p><p>“Don’t g-go!” He was sobbing and Baekhyun felt complete darkness close in. The last star in his life, Park Chanyeol, was falling, killed by the darkness that Byun Baekhyun himself was. And this time, Baekhyun didn’t wish upon the falling star. The night sky doesn’t stop shooting stars from going away…because they know they never deserved them.</p><p>Maybe he had never deserved Chanyeol.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A solos ortu usque ad occasum - From where the sun rises to where it sets</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Tuesday, 3 November (48 days)</strong>
</p><p>“Are you sure? You could stay here for more days. I won’t mind,” Nicolas said, a hopeful glint in his eyes, but Baekhyun stomped upon that, too.</p><p>“We’ll be fine. We’re already running out of time.” He lifted the bag that Nicolas had given him, “Thanks for the map. I know it’s an important family treasure.”</p><p>Nicolas waved him away, “Oh, come on. Noble families just store things and never use them. You’ll need to navigate around Veysigz.”</p><p><em>If we manage to ever reach that place, </em>Baekhyun thought, but he didn’t say that, instead choosing to smile and give a parting hug to Nicolas, before walking towards the fence. Chanyeol, who had already wished his farewells, was waiting for him, and he nodded curtly when Baekhyun walked near him –</p><p>“North,” he pointed at the tip of the compass, “We have to keep going North.”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, and they walked. <em>North.</em></p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“Couldn’t we have ridden on Freisty?”</p><p>Chanyeol shrugged, “The mist comes when you walk with no destination.”</p><p>“But we have a destination – North.”</p><p>“That’s a direction.”</p><p>“Is Veysigz a destination?”</p><p>“We’ll find out.”</p><p>That was the most they had talked in the past hours. Wearing the clothes Nicolas had originally handed them, along with some jackets they had draped over to protect themselves from the cold, they kept walking through the grown grass that reached up to their calves. It was calming in a way – just walking – under the sky, seeing nothing but grass. There were no surprises here, no magic tricks, no people, nothing that could work…except for nature in its rawest, purest form.</p><p>They walked.</p><p>A few hours later, they stopped for a bit, legs aching and shirts damp and cold. The sun was pale, so were the skies, so were they. A large shadow loomed over them, and Baekhyun looked up to see a red-scaled dragon come down. The dragon's blue eyes sought them.</p><p>“Freisty,” Baekhyun muttered, before standing up as Freisty stood in front of him, “What is it?”</p><p>There was a slight alarm in her eyes. She pointed a wing towards the North.</p><p>“Yeah. We’re going there,” Baekhyun said, following her movement as she bowed down, apologetic, “You are leaving us?”</p><p>She nodded, pointing to the North again and then back to herself.</p><p>“You’re going there alone?” She nodded, “Why?”</p><p>She fluttered her wings once, and Baekhyun understood it as a shrug, “Can’t you come with us?”</p><p>With her expressive eyes, she looked at his feet.</p><p>“We have to walk to face the Mist,” she nodded, “And you’ll cross the Mist too?”</p><p>She nodded again.</p><p>Chanyeol spoke, “That means…you’ll wait for us there?”</p><p>She bowed her head, and when she straightened up, her ice-blue eyes burned with a passion. Even after everything, a smile cracked upon Baekhyun’s face –</p><p>“Alright.” He said, “You’re free to leave. We’ll meet you there.”</p><p>She bowed one last time before flapping her wings and moving up in the sky, high, high and higher, until she straightened, and let out a howl that made the grass stand up straight before diving to the Northern horizon, the wind in her wake.</p><p>Baekhyun and Chanyeol stood watching the sky even after she left, when Chanyeol stood up and slung his bag onto one shoulder –</p><p>“Well, we can’t keep her waiting for a long time, right?” Chanyeol looked handsome. That’s the only thought in Baekhyun’s head, as he watched him.</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t wait for his answer and walked forward, towards the open fields, the air ruffling his air and jacket. Baekhyun didn’t know he was smiling, as he leaned down, grabbed his own bag, slung it onto his shoulders and raced up to his boyfriend.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Wednesday, 4 November (47 days left)</strong>
</p><p>The little spark of hope that Baekhyun had gained upon Freisty’s arrival turned to dust and buried itself in the ground, on which grew grass, no fruits, no flowers, just grass. Chanyeol and he hadn’t spoken a word, until it was necessary and Baekhyun didn’t have anything to say. The sun had set, and was about to rise again, if the dew on the grass that dampened their pants stood for anything. They had eaten the food Nicolas had sent for them and drank the water. They had peed in the bushes, and thankfully, they didn’t have to relieve themselves yet. Until today, they were going to be fine. Tomorrow? Who knows?</p><p>The fields were endless.</p><p>And in the dark, they looked just as lifeless as Baekhyun felt. Walking here, he realized that so many things that he thought mattered meant nothing. <em>This </em>was life – no destination, just a single direction. Nobody would stop him from running towards the East, but it wouldn’t achieve anything; not like walking towards the North achieved anything.</p><p>Among the grasses that looked the same everywhere, he felt lost. He had no idea where he was, no sense of security, no sort of motivation – just a single compass. What if it was broken? They wouldn’t know. They just kept walking.</p><p>He had no hopes and no desires, and he just kept walking.</p><p>Even though Chanyeol walked with him, his thoughts were his own. All alone, he kept walking.</p><p>Everything had left him, but he kept walking.</p><p>Baekhyun stopped, eyes stung with tears as he looked at the sky with his fists clenched, “How much <em>more</em> do I have to walk<em>?” </em>The sound reverberated to all corners, carried by the wind. They touched the earth, slid upon the grass blades, eased into the soil.</p><p>But nobody answered him. Chanyeol didn’t even look at him, his head bowed, barely a shadow in the dark. Where was the moonlight? Where were the stars that had watched over them for so many years? Where was he?</p><p>Why was he?</p><p>Clouded in despair, he ran. He didn’t know where, but he ran, in all directions, jumping like a crazed fool. There was freedom in running wherever he wanted, there was fervour in being lost. Like a caged bird that was released, he flapped his wings in all directions…</p><p>-        until the storm ate him whole.</p><p>He felt the haze in his heart, the cold on his skin, the craziness in his mind. And when he opened his eyes and looked…all he saw was fog.</p><p>
  <em>The Mist.</em>
</p><p>He could see or hear nothing. There was grass underneath his foot, but…he was lost. Where was he? Where had he run?</p><p>“C-Chanyeol?” He called out, hoping that there would be a sudden answer. But there wasn’t. The fields remained silent in the way they always were, but he didn’t give up. “Chanyeol, can you hear me? Do you – do you see this too? Chanyeol?”</p><p>But his cries weren’t answered. Just like before, he was left alone.</p><p>“<em>Chanyeol!</em>” He screamed and wailed, running around in his blindness, but under his foot, there was nothing but grass and soil – the same everywhere. <em>North, </em>he thought, <em>they had to go North. </em>But he didn’t have the compass.</p><p>
  <em>Chanyeol must have left him behind and gone North.</em>
</p><p>He glanced at his hands and winced when he realized he couldn’t even see them. That’s how thick the fog was.</p><p>“Chanyeol! Chanyeol, please – please tell me you’re there!” He begged, sobbing out, but nobody said a word, “Chan – yes, wait.” He took his bag off. He couldn’t see but he could feel. He reached out for his wand; the crystalline trails familiar in his hand. He took it out and cast a chant –</p><p><em>“I see the light!” </em>He waited for the mist to clear, but nothing happened. He tried again, summoning more magic, <em>“I see the light!”</em></p><p>Nothing. It felt like his magic was used up by him, but it didn’t even come out. He tried his own light. Vibrations passed his hands, but no light came out of his fingers.</p><p>“No, no, no, no…” He muttered, trying again and again. But all he faced…was absolute fucking darkness.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>
  <strong>Day: ??</strong>
</p><p>Baekhyun trudged around like a zombie.</p><p>His legs ached, but the thought of sitting down scared him more. His eyes had no light in them, they weren’t even of any use. Opening his eyes, he saw white. Closing them, he saw black. In the past, he had been thinking to ground himself to reality, but he had thought through everything he could think of while walking – every regret, every hope, every dream, every fear. He had thought about how tired he was of thinking. And now, everything smudged together into one big piece that was his life.</p><p>He walked, left, right, back, forward. It didn’t matter, anyway. His body was numb from the cold, and his throat was parched. He was going to die walking in the mist.</p><p>Nothing ever mattered anyway.</p><p>He walked.</p><p>Just at the point where he decided, he could no more, the fog lightened, and drifted away. Baekhyun blinked as his vision returned. There were fields ahead of him, but these fields – they were yellow. The soil was different, thicker. The sky came into view, it was red, either sunrise or sunset.</p><p>But all of that, he saw second.</p><p>“Baekhyun?”</p><p>A boy was standing in front of him; his face was pale, and his lips were blue. His damp hair fell onto his forehead, and his glasses were fogged. Baekhyun let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding –</p><p>“Chanyeol.”</p><p>They stood there, gazing at each other for a long time. They knew they weren’t in the realms of Aurora now, for they were on the lands of Veysigz. They knew that they survived the Mist and crossed the kingdoms. But they didn’t know the person facing them.</p><p>Because the men who had entered the Aurorian fields weren’t the same men that came out of the Veyshigi fields.</p><p>The sky became lighter; it was morning. Baekhyun took out a watch, which reflected the day and time in the air between them, and they took in a breath when they realized it was the same day.</p><p>“But how –?”</p><p>“Magic.”</p><p>Between the dawn and the morning, lay the Mist.</p><p>Between Chanyeol and Baekhyun, lay a gap just like the Mist – small in every physical measure, but so big that the sky and ground felt closer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>6</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thursday, 5 November (46 days left)</strong>
</p><p>They had only walked a few steps forward, no words exchanged, when a shadow crossed over them again, and Freisty settled down with her head bowed. Baekhyun smiled at her –</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>They climbed upon her back, Baekhyun at the helm. Chanyeol didn’t hold onto him, and that didn’t even sting. So, this is how it was going to be. They had known each other for seven years, but all it took was seventy hours to tear them apart, or maybe, this was their destiny.</p><p>Freisty flew to the rising sun, her wings spread, the taste of freedom on her tongue. She was unbound, and for a moment, Baekhyun felt he was too.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oderint, dum metuant - Let them hate, as long as they fear</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun watched the city – the people wore darker colours, had paler skin, bloodied lips. They moved like shadows, but they weren’t <em>unhappy. </em>As they walked through the market towards their destination, they saw ladies with their hair high in a bun smiling at vendors who sat in their stalls. Here, the market had raised stalls built on thin wood, covered with black clothes, and the vendor sat in them, laying their goods. A little girl pointed at a gold-coloured pearl, and her father, wearing a long, black cloak smiled at her, before carrying her on his shoulders and buying it. A couple went by, holding hands, the girl with a big bump in her stomach. She was pregnant. An old lady walked, helped by her grandchildren, who were a mess of giggles. Two boys walked closer – the taller boy held a book in his hand, while the smaller one leaned onto his chest, listening to them. Both their faces were flushed.</p><p>Something painful emerged in Baekhyun’s chest. Longing? No. Regret? Not that either. It was just…something he had done in the past but would probably not be doing now. He couldn’t imagine himself<em> now </em>like that.</p><p>“What are Aurorians doing here?” Baekhyun whipped his head around to see a young man, probably in his late twenties, staring at them with wide eyes. He was dressed in those black clothes.</p><p>Baekhyun composed himself, “We’re from the Zade family. We came to visit our relatives.”</p><p>“No, you’re not,” the man stated, “You’re Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol, the missing Aurorians.” They froze. This could not lead to anywhere <em>nice. </em>Baekhyun eyed Chanyeol, who nodded slightly and moved up front –</p><p>“Oh? You recognize us?” Chanyeol talked some rubbish, while Baekhyun slid his wand out from the back.</p><p>“Of course I do!” The man stated, “I’m the one who wrote the article about you missing, so I must.”</p><p>Baekhyun kicked Chanyeol’s shin, and the taller boy acted up, “That’s interesting. Why don’t we talk?” Before the man could understand what was happening, Chanyeol threw an arm around him, using his height and muscles to his strength, before pulling them behind a stall, from where they entered a dark lane. Immediately, Baekhyun cast silencing chants and bubble chants all around them, as Chanyeol put the man against a wall.</p><p>“What – we were talking…?” The man spoke, looking from one side to the other, panic-struck.</p><p>Baekhyun crossed his arms, and stepped out from behind Chanyeol, “Yes, we will talk – we will ask questions, and you will answer them. Am I clear?”</p><p>The man tried to push him away, but Chanyeol’s hands pinned him to the wall, “He asked a question. Answer him.” The taller boy nodded slightly at Baekhyun, urging him to continue, and for a moment Baekhyun couldn’t help but think that no matter what happened, they were the best team.</p><p>“I’ll repeat.” He took his wand out and summoned some energy through it, and it came out – all <em>black. </em>He pointed the wand at the man and tilted his head to the side, “Was I clear?”</p><p>The man tried to argue, but Baekhyun dug his wand into his chin. So, the man had no option other than nodding, “Y-You are clear.”</p><p>“Alright,” Baekhyun pulled the wand back, crossing his arms again, “What’s your name?”</p><p>“A-Arthus.”</p><p>“Arthus what?”</p><p>“Cornels.” The man gulped, and Baekhyun traced his Adam’s apple with the tip of his wand, “Arthus Cornels.”</p><p>Chanyeol let go of the man, and turned to Baekhyun, “He’s the one who wrote the article about you using dark magic.”</p><p>“Ah,” Baekhyun snapped his fingers, “The one that got me kicked out of Aurora?”</p><p>“Exactly that one.”</p><p>He turned to Arthus again, digging his wand just a little further. The journalist’s eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets, so fearful, so scared, “Isn’t it funny? You’re the one who wrote that article, yet here you are – in the lands of dark magic itself.”</p><p>Chanyeol snorted, “Hypocritical much?”</p><p>“N-no, you don’t understand,” the man rushed to explain, his hands moving of their own accord, “I-”</p><p>Baekhyun pressed his wand against his throat, “Did we allow you to speak?”</p><p>“No, but…”</p><p>“Don’t repeat it,” Baekhyun said, “Now, answer us. Why are you here?”</p><p>The man gasped, “That’s what I was telling you-”</p><p>Chanyeol glared at him, “Just answer what he asked. Nothing more, nothing less.” Baekhyun shivered at his tone. It was…protective. Even when they were doing something highly illegal and immoral, it felt nice that Chanyeol was protective of him.</p><p>Maybe, they were going to be fine, after all.</p><p><em>Great Byun Baekhyun, </em>he thought, <em>having your romantic realization when you’re bullying someone.</em></p><p>“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol’s stern voice brought him out of his reverie, “It’s better you pay attention. I don’t want to lose more time.”</p><p>
  <em>Yeah, never mind.</em>
</p><p>He kicked Arthus’s shin, “Yeah, speak.”</p><p>“I said my family is Veyshigi.”</p><p>Baekhyun frowned. So, there was Zade, Amare, Byun, Cornels – and all of them were Veyshigi? If so, many families were Veyshigi, then why was Aurora silent?</p><p>“You better not be lying,” Chanyeol threatened and Baekhyun knew they had the same thoughts. The man shivered, but his eyes were honest –</p><p>“I – I am not. Ask anybody. Five families belong to both Aurora and Veyshigi,” he stuttered.</p><p>“Zade, Amare, Byun and Cornel,” Chanyeol stated it out, “What is the last one?”</p><p>“It’s a dead family. They only have one heir left.”</p><p>“Who is it?”</p><p>“The ‘Oh’ family,” the man stated, “And their heir is Oh Sehun.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t believe they bullied Arthus enough for him to allow them to stay in his villa. His wife and twins had looked at them, fear-struck, but Baekhyun had had enough of being ‘rude.’ Arthus wasn’t a threat. Even if he spread the information to Aurora, it won’t matter. It would actually be helpful because their friends would be updated. So, Baekhyun had knelt by the twins – two girls, about five-years olds – and played with them, giving them piggyback rides, and tying their pigtails. Arthus’s wife had warmed up to them, too and showed them a room in which they could stay.</p><p>He would have to share a room with Chanyeol, again, but in different circumstances.</p><p>The taller boy was quick. He draped his jacket on a chair, and found Arthus, “Do you have some sort of space where an animal could live?”</p><p>For a moment, Baekhyun thought Chanyeol was talking about him. Then, he mentally hit himself – <em>you’re not an animal, Byun. </em>Although when they were younger, Chanyeol used to call him ‘pup.’</p><p>“Oh, yes we do,” the wife said, “We have a stable and a free space.”</p><p>“That would be perfect.”</p><p>“Which kind of animal is it?” Arthus narrowed his eyes.</p><p>“It’s a pup – oh, I mean,” Chanyeol covered up quickly, giving Baekhyun the <em>shortest </em>glance ever in history. But, did that mean the other boy was thinking about him too? “It’s a dragon.”</p><p>It was comical to watch their mouths drop, “Y-you have a pet dragon?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah we do.” Chanyeol turned towards him, “Baekhyun, call her.”</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t call him ‘Baek.’</p><p>He smiled to mask his disappointment, and shoved his fingers inside his mouth, whistling loudly. A few minutes passed. The kids raced up to them, eyes glimmering –</p><p>“Mom, there’s a dragon outside!”</p><p>Baekhyun felt bad because Mrs. Cornels almost fainted at the sight of a strong, red-scaled, unfriendly-looking dragon in her garden, stomping on her orchids.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“Flos Pacis,” Chanyeol stared at the new map that Arthus had given him, “Would it take long to reach there?”</p><p>Arthus fumbled with his fingers, “On foot? Yes. On a dragon? I’m not so sure.” Baekhyun snorted, as the journalist shrugged, “Not familiar with that kind of transport.”</p><p>“Can I ask you a question?” Baekhyun intervened, “We reached here by the Mist. Did you come here the same way?”</p><p>Arthus nodded, “You cross the Mist only once. Other times, it engulfs you and dumps you here, without any buffer.”</p><p>“That’s highly convenient.”</p><p>“Sneaking towards the fields with Aurorian guards watching it, thanks to you, is not.” </p><p>“How is it my fault?” Baekhyun complained, “They’re keeping watch because of the war.”</p><p>Chanyeol blinked, “Yes. The war. Is there an actual war happening?”</p><p>Arthus shifted in his seat, “It is. Viscaris is sad, and that affects his clan that swore to protect him. So, they’re going to war.”</p><p>“They?” Baekhyun notched an eyebrow, “Aren’t you one of them?”</p><p>Arthus shook his head, “You’re confusing the Clan with Veyshigi citizens. We’re only normal people, living here. They are a cult of sorts. Imagine if instead of Aurora’s heir, you had Aurora herself. Won’t she have a group of people dedicated to nothing but her?”</p><p>Baekhyun imagined people draped with togas, shouting ‘Peace’ and ‘Justice, “The Temple already does.”</p><p>“Veyshigi clan is violent. They are ‘protectors.’” He explained, “People respect them. We may not agree with the clan, but we have extreme respect for them.”</p><p>“And where does this clan reside?” Chanyeol asked, tapping the map splayed out on the table. Arthus leaned in, his pale finger sliding across the thick, rubbery sheet before stopping –</p><p>“Here,” he said, pointing to a mountain-top in the North, “That is the cave of Viscaris – where his body lives, and in the valley, they live.”</p><p>Baekhyun licked his lips, “We’re going to Flos Pacis. Would we run into them?”</p><p>Arthus ducked his head, “I – I am not sure.”</p><p>Chanyeol eyed Baekhyun, who nodded, looking at Arthus with stern eyes, “Alright. Have you been completely honest with us so far?”</p><p>“I – I have.”</p><p>“Good,” Baekhyun lifted Luna, “You know what will happen if you’re not. I’ve learnt my fair share of dark chants – none of them are innocent.”</p><p>Arthus gulped and scrambled for words, “T-There’s one more thing…”</p><p>Baekhyun smirked, crossing his ankles, “Tell us.”</p><p>“At dusk…for a duration of ten minutes, the Clan goes to Viscaris’s cave and prays at his feet. We – we do it too, lying on the ground. It’s a custom here.”</p><p>“Do we have to do it?” Chanyeol asked.</p><p>“If you’re on the streets and you don’t,” he shrugged, “It could be bad.”</p><p>“Noted.” Baekhyun smiled, “If we go at dawn, they won’t be there.”</p><p>Arthus squeezed his eyes shut, “That is correct.” It probably hurt him to help criminals. But Baekhyun didn’t care, “When will you be l-leaving?”</p><p>Baekhyun flicked his tongue, counting on his fingers before turning to Chanyeol, “Let’s leave after midnight.” </p><p>Chanyeol smiled at him – for the first time since they had entered the Mist – and stood up, “You stole my words.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t pay attention to the fact that they were sleeping on the same bed, because a second after his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep. He woke up to the ringing of an alarm and stretched his arms out. Chanyeol stepped out from the washroom, dressed up in his clothes and a towel around his damp head – </p><p>“Hurry up. We need to leave.”</p><p>They took a bottle of water and ate some snacks from the fridge, before stepping out into the night air. Freisty snarled at them, and groaned as if she was saying, “I’ve waited for you guys all my life.”</p><p>They didn’t comment. Taking their seats upon the dragon and casting some bubble chants, Freisty took off. By now, Baekhyun was used to the fierce winds, and he kept his eyes trained at the horizon. When Aurora came to Viscaris to request for him, she dropped the Flower of Peace in the lake, as some sort of offering. </p><p>And they needed to find and destroy that flower. </p><p>
  <em>Flos Pacis, here we come. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Friday, 6 November (45 days left)</strong>
</p><p>The wind raced by them. Freisty would land in about five minutes. Baekhyun tried to control his raging heart. </p><p>4 minutes until descent. </p><p>Chanyeol slid closer to him, putting his warm lips against his ear, “Once we touch the ground, we have fifteen minutes to get the flower and destroy it,” Baekhyun shivered as he spoke, soft breaths warming his cold ear lobes, “We can’t afford to mess up.”</p><p>Baekhyun leaned past Freisty’s huge muscular wings to look below him - a foreign kingdom stretched out, and an entire clan was scattered around the area…and all of them wanted his blood to avenge their leader, who lay in misery and pain. The Bringer of Light could feel the misery pumping through the air, hushed whispering voices, the wailing trees, and the darkest night he had ever seen. </p><p>“We won’t,” he assured Chanyeol, “We won’t die today.”</p><p>Maybe tomorrow, Chanyeol, but not today. </p><p>Freisty flew over the land, until she stopped, flew up higher and prepared for the dive. Baekhyun’s brows furrowed, his forehead creased. Behind him, he knew Chanyeol was tensed, sitting with awkward shoulders, breathing harder. Wordlessly, he grasped his hands, squeezing him. </p><p>At the horizon, a tiny pint of light shone through the dark, and there was a high roar beneath them. Freisty went down, and Baekhyun held onto her lightly as his hair flew back. She slowed as they reached the shaking ground, where a clan marched ahead, shouting “Hail Viscaris! Hail Misery!” Baekhyun jumped off Freisty –</p><p>“Fifteen minutes, darling,” he said, “We’d be back here.”</p><p>Once Chanyeol was off, she flew away. They stood in a dark clearing, trees around them. If Baekhyun blocked out the noise and closed his eyes, he could’ve pretended he was back in the Weary Woods. But he couldn’t. Through the trees, they could see a thousand men marching with fire-lit polearms, warhammers, aces, rapiers and ranseurs. With spiked chains attached to their vest, and black face-paint on their faces, they paraded through, shouting the name of the one they needed to avenge.</p><p>“Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!” </p><p>Baekhyun’s heartbeat had sky-rocketed out of his chest. He sat behind a tree, still and unmoving. From the lights they carried, he could see Chanyeol’s face, who sat behind another tree, adjacent to him. Chanyeol’s eyes were blown, wide with fear. </p><p>This…was what they were going to face. This anger, this rage, this misery – this was what they were against. There were children in the march, screaming with their shrill voices, “Justice! We want justice!” </p><p>And they did this every day. </p><p>Baekhyun slammed his head against the tree, trying to block out their noises, trying not to cry, but those tears welled up anyway. The heat of the fire they carried pickled his arms, but the fire they carried inside them was stronger. Compared to them, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were empty vases of darkness. Viscaris may stand for misery, but these people…they were radiant, united, strong, while Baekhyun stood for something built upon broken shards of peace. </p><p>The march went on. Baekhyun’s eyes followed them, looking up to the mountain that they went to. The sky was brightening. Time was running out – just like always, that bitch was forever set on flight mode. </p><p>“Mamma, there are shadows here.” Baekhyun and Chanyeol paused, staring at each other like a deer caught in headlights, before Baekhyun gestured for him to sit without moving, “Mamma!”</p><p>“Hush, child,” the mother replied, “Don’t say anything except for his name.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“For revenge!”</p><p>They passed and Baekhyun let out a breath. The last of the parade had passed. They had ten minutes. He stood up, checking the way, before nodding at Chanyeol –</p><p>“Let’s go.” </p><p>They raced through the forest, before it opened out into the Lake of Peace. Baekhyun was stunned. The lake was shining, a beautiful, blinding glow. </p><p>“It is probably because of the flower,” Chanyeol said, “…which seems to be at the bottom.”</p><p>Baekhyun stepped forward. The lake wasn’t too deep. He turned back, “Are you going in?”</p><p>“I think we should go together.”</p><p>“It’s just a flower. You swim well, you can get it.”</p><p>“I insist.”</p><p>Baekhyun frowned but let Chanyeol do as he pleased. The taller boy grasped his hand, which tingled, and stepped out towards the lake. It’s just a lake, Baekhyun. He told himself, just water. You can’t drown in it. But there was a single image in his mind – bubbles rising to the surface, the blood seeping out of his chest, and that last shard of sunlight.</p><p>“I can’t do this,” he gasped, trying to pull his hand out of Chanyeol’s hold, “It’s – no, no. I can’t.”</p><p>But Chanyeol didn’t let go, “You won’t drown.”</p><p>“I – you don’t understand. I will…”</p><p>“I won’t let you drown,” Chanyeol stated, before turning towards the lake, putting his first foot in. Baekhyun kept looking at him as his heartbeat raced again, but for a different reason. It was hard to hate Park Chanyeol, but it also hard to love him, “Baek? You’re coming?”</p><p>Baek, he couldn’t help but smile, feeling all sorts of giddy inside, and stepping forward into the lake, what a weak bitch you are, Byun.</p><p>They stepped into the lake, wading to its centre, “Dip in 3…2…1!” They went under as the sun came through. Chanyeol had his eyes closed, because of the light that the flower emitted but Baekhyun could see without getting blinded. He navigated their hands towards the spot where the light was the strongest. He felt something underneath his hand and picked it out. They came back up, panting for air, letting the water flow out from their ears. At the same time, they could hear distant sounds of marching – the Clan was coming back.</p><p>Without glancing at the object, Baekhyun held it close in his hands, trying to stop the blinding light that escaped from it, and grabbed Chanyeol’s hands – </p><p>“We need to leave!”</p><p>The taller boy seemed to be in a daze; he still had his eyes closed. </p><p>“Chanyeol! What’s wrong?”</p><p>“B-Baek…I think she – she is controlling me…” Aurora. Just as the thought flickered in his head, his very own deity started coming alive, but Baekhyun shoved him inside. Not now, Elijah. He grabbed Chanyeol’s hands and pulled him from where they had come. The marchers were almost here –</p><p>“Freisty!” He shouted, “Where are you?”</p><p>There was no red-scaled dragon in sight. Chanyeol was transforming into Aurora. Elijah was banging his doors, asking to be let out, and he had the Flos Pacis in his hands, shining in a brilliant glow. The marchers stepped closer. No, they had to fly away before they could notice the dragon. </p><p>“Freisty!” He tried again, feeling hopelessness fill him like a blooming flower, “Come on…come on!” </p><p>Heartbeats racing, damp and wet, Chanyeol on the verge of fainting. But then, the winds fastened and with a low howl, the dragon settled on the ground. Baekhyun tried not to sob. They weren’t safe, yet. He climbed on her, holding her neck. </p><p>Chanyeol, who was still on the ground, looked up at him, feverish, dazed, “A-Are you leaving me?” He croaked out, and Baekhyun’s heart shattered a little, but he held strong, taking Luna out.</p><p>“No, you idiot,” he said, pointing the wand at Chanyeol and chanted a basic elevation chant, and Chanyeol’s body lifted, placing himself right behind Baekhyun, hands wound around him, head safely tucked into the region between Baekhyun’s shoulder and neck, “How could you even come to that conclusion?” he muttered as Freisty took quick flight. He held onto her, as the clan became a distant dot and they flew to the sky: safe. </p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe we’re having a luxury breakfast in bed,” Baekhyun muttered, looking over at the breakfast tray Mrs. Cornels had just dropped on their table, while they stayed in bed, “A luxury British breakfast. How first-world is that?”</p><p>Chanyeol shrugged, his face still ashen, “I can’t believe I’m alive. I thought you were going to leave me.”</p><p>“Would’ve served you right.”</p><p>“What did I do?”</p><p>“You – you assumed that I don’t love you,” Baekhyun couldn’t stare up, “When I love you very much.”</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t comment. </p><p>“Your silence makes me think that I’m right,” Baekhyun finally looked up, expecting to see Chanyeol staring at space or something, but he took in a sharp breath when he noticed that the boy was staring at the blanket as a tear dropped onto his cheek, “C-Chanyeol? Hey!” </p><p>Baekhyun held his chin up, “Don’t – don’t cry, please. Let’s sort this out-”</p><p>“Shut up,” Chanyeol sniffed, “Just please…shut up.” </p><p>Baekhyun retraced his hand and left it hanging in between, staring at his lover with deflated shoulders. There were tons of things he wanted to say – ‘What can I do?’ ‘Let’s talk this through’ ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Do you need some time?’ but all he said was:</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>They sat on the bed. The two books they had opened after tedious work lay around them, along with Chanyeol’s notes, their wands, and new notebooks. Flos Pacis was kept in a jar – the centre of attraction. </p><p>“We’d destroy it tonight,” Chanyeol said, “First let’s figure out the rest of the objects.”</p><p>“The chains,” Baekhyun recalled, “And the scythe of Viscaris. They’re both at his cave.”</p><p>Tension was suspended between them, but they pretended to not notice it. ¬They tried distracting themselves, and for once, Baekhyun was thankful for this extreme Aurorian Myth, veil, Misery and ten objects. The end of the world was a good distraction. </p><p>“We’ll go to his cave after dusk,” Chanyeol bit his lips.</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, “No way are we going to the cave of misery at night.”</p><p>“Yes, we are.”</p><p>“No, we aren’t.”</p><p>“There’s literally no other time. They wake up early, guard him throughout the day and only leave at night when his suffering becomes too much to bear,” Chanyeol recited the information Arthus had provided him, “We must go when his suffering is at its peak.”</p><p>“Chanyeol, we are not gods,” Baekhyun deadpanned, “We will not survive that kind of pain.”</p><p>The heir only shrugged, “Well, we have to. There’s no other choice.”</p><p>“I don’t even agree with breaking his chains,” he said, “Isn’t that what Aurora did? She went there, dropped a flower, broke his chains, had sex with him, drowned Elijah and then, cursed him. What a great woman.”</p><p>Chanyeol tsk-ed, “You won’t understand. So please don’t try to.”</p><p>Baekhyun glared at him, “Oh, I’m sorry for being dumb.”</p><p>“I forgive you.”</p><p>He scoffed, “I can’t believe – let’s just not talk about this. Moving on, what are the other objects again?”</p><p>Chanyeol stared at his notes, “Like you so nicely said, Aurora made love with Viscaris at a fortress present in the Mist-”</p><p>“The Fortress of Sins,” Baekhyun stated, “Elijah called it that. He came to know of the sin because of their clothes, and after that, he came to Viscaris,” he paused, “He said he was lost but found at the same time: finding Aurora, but knowing where she was. Unlike us, he had a destination, but not a direction. So, he found the fortress.”</p><p>“Good for him,” Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “Besides, it wasn’t a ‘sin.’ It was an act of love-making.”</p><p>Baekhyun notched an eyebrow, “She legit left him because she wanted excitement and had sex with the king of misery, who – by the way – just wanted some of her ‘peace.’ You call that love-making?”</p><p>Chanyeol was frustrated, “You won’t understand. Elijah was never the one for her-”</p><p>“How can you say that? He did everything he could!”</p><p>“Well, let’s just say his ‘everything’ wasn’t enough,” Chanyeol punched the bed, “She’d been with Elijah since they were kids. They didn’t know anyone else other than each other. She had no option to choose from, and all this bullshit about being meant to be – her having to take over the throne, and Elijah becoming the guardian. He was happy with that life, she wasn’t. So, she left. What’s wrong with that?”</p><p>“She could’ve talked to him, explained her reasons,” Baekhyun said, “How could she leave just like that?”</p><p>“Maybe, because she knew that no matter how much she tried to explain…he wouldn’t understand,” Chanyeol glared pointedly at him…and it took three ticks before it set in. </p><p>“Oh,” Baekhyun said dumbly. </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>Baekhyun wanted to ask Chanyeol just how much he related to that story…but he was in the house of Love, and not strength. </p><p>“If you were in her place…would you have done the same?” He tried not to avert his gaze or let his voice crack. No, he would be strong.</p><p>Chanyeol was looking at him, as if he was trying to see into his soul. He hesitated, before saying –</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>At night, they quietly sneaked out of the house. Baekhyun draped his legs over Freisty, rubbing her long neck affectionately, “You must be tired too.”</p><p>She roared in agreement and Baekhyun hugged her. Freisty wasn’t a human but she was one of the closest things to him – someone that he never wanted to part with. She understood him, and he understood her, and wasn’t that love? Chanyeol placed himself behind him, “We’re ready to go.”</p><p>After the talk they had hours back, they had felt the ‘break' – this time, something more permanent. Throughout the flight, Baekhyun thought over his words. Did Chanyeol feel like he had no other option than Baekhyun? He could…because they’d stuck to each other like glue throughout school but Baekhyun had never once forced the taller boy to stay with him. Did Chanyeol feel that Baekhyun wouldn’t understand? Maybe, but if Chanyeol tried to, he would. </p><p>Or has he already been trying and Baekhyun didn’t notice? </p><p>He was aware of the taller boy's hands on his waist. He didn’t think Chanyeol wanted to hold him, but the winds were rough so he was required to. Is that how their relationship had been? His chest tightened, squeezing painfully but he promised he won’t cry. Later, when he had enough courage, he’d ask Chanyeol if it all felt ‘forced', or if this didn’t make him happy. If his happiness lay in his freedom, then Baekhyun loved him enough to let him go. He must be Elan's biological son after all for both of them had…let go. </p><p>“We’re here,” Chanyeol slid off Freisty, looking up at the small climb they had to undergo, “Let us get the objects.”</p><p>“Do you think he’s going to attack us?” Baekhyun asked hesitantly, rubbing Freisty's snout. </p><p>Chanyeol shrugged, “I don’t think so, but maybe.” Chanyeol already sounded cold and distant, completely unlike the Park Chanyeol ‘nerd' he had come to know. The boy who had held his hand all these years, studied with him in the library, gone to Kinnaras’ hut every morning and kissed him was gone. This Park Chanyeol kept to himself, smiled a total of one time in three days but then, Baekhyun wasn’t giving him a reason to smile, was he? </p><p>They strolled upwards in complete silence with their eyes on the ground. The Cave of Viscaris came closer. Baekhyun, who had not seen many cave formations, thought it would be like the curved dome they showed in comic books – like the ones he had lived in. But it wasn’t. The entrance was jagged with shards of rock, and uneven growth. Chanyeol stepped in, helping Baekhyun in. It was not completely dark.</p><p>“Strange…” He whispered, and yelped as something damp hit his skin, “Whoa. What’s that?”</p><p>“Water dripping from a stalactite,” Chanyeol raised a tender finger to the ceiling, “It’s made of a mineral deposit. And the ones on the floor are stalagmites.”</p><p>Baekhyun vaguely remembered that in third year, Chanyeol had explained the difference to him in their Earth Class. He had said ‘the ‘C’ is for ceiling, and the ‘G’ is for ground. Baekhyun, who had still been poor in his English, had understood it very well, and thanked Chanyeol with a kiss on his cheek.</p><p>She’d been with Elijah since they were kids. They didn’t know anyone else other than each other. She had no option to choose from. </p><p>The ghosts came alive in the dark, and Baekhyun felt as if all of them surrounded him. He tailed behind Chanyeol, who walked with hesitant steps, avoiding the crystalline jags, sudden ridges, and hard rocks. “It’s not easy,” the taller boy wiped the sweat off his forehead, “With how loud we are, Viscaris must have heard us.”</p><p>Baekhyun hummed. He wondered how Viscaris would react when the people he wanted nothing to do with came into his very own lair. He hoped Viscaris didn’t kill them – would the respawn card work this time?</p><p>Chanyeol suddenly came to a stop, and Baekhyun clashed against him. </p><p>“Ow,” he rubbed his temple, “Why did you – oh.”</p><p>In front of them, lying against the cave, was a figure that frighteningly resembled a zombie – until he raised his head. The Lord of Misery had ashen skin, a scar running from his cheek, above his eyelid, cutting through his thin eyebrow and resting at his temple. His lips were red as wine, and his black hair fell across him in waves, held by a white ribbon. The scarred eyelid hid a beady eye, while the other eye shone brightly, glimmering in colours that Baekhyun couldn’t put names to. His pale, delicate hands were chained to the cave, and every breath of his felt like the sigh the world took as it came closer to death. </p><p>Baekhyun kneeled, “Viscaris.”</p><p>But Viscaris wasn’t looking at him. His attention was on Park Chanyeol. Baekhyun looked up at him and gasped when he realized Chanyeol was flickering in and out of Viscaris’s form.</p><p>“Chanyeol-!” He grasped his hand, but it was icy cold and slid out of his hold.</p><p>“Don’t touch me,” Chanyeol – no, Viscaris – said, “Don’t fight me. I’m tired.” </p><p>Baekhyun bit his lips. This…was different. Chanyeol as Viscaris was different. Here, it seemed like he knew the consequences of Baekhyun touching him. His eyes landed on the chained figure in front of him, who looked at the ground with no emotion –</p><p>“Yes, this is Viscaris,” Chanyeol’s body said, “The one lying in front of you. I can’t speak. I’ve shouted and screamed for years, and then lay in silence for thousands of years. I won’t speak through my own mouth.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded. It was creepy. It was terrifying, but he understood.</p><p>“Viscaris,” he said weakly, “You know who we are, and what we want, right?”</p><p>Chanyeol spoke again, “I do. I’ve waited for you for centuries.”</p><p>“C-Centuries?” Baekhyun blinked, “Why?”</p><p>“Awaiting my death, of course,” Chanyeol shrugged, “Look at me. Do you think I want to live?”</p><p>Baekhyun raised his head, and he flinched when he saw the Lord’s eyes were staring into his, so dark and so deep, hiding things Baekhyun didn’t want to find out. His heart ached, and his chest squeezed. He was angry, sad, miserable at the same time.</p><p>“You have suffered,” Chanyeol’s voice said, “Caught up in the webs we’ve weaved, you have suffered.”</p><p>“Nothing,” Baekhyun sobbed, “Compared to you. You deserve to be set free.”</p><p>“I appreciate that,” Chanyeol smiled, but the man controlling him didn’t, “Misery is eternal, the only truth. But the misery you’re going through – you haven’t brought this onto yourself, unlike me.”</p><p>Baekhyun vaguely remembered a conversation about karma and other things in Kinnaras’ hut. That seemed like centuries ago.</p><p>“I – Lord, can I take your chains off? And your scythe? They hold your life, and to ensure your death, we need to – need to destroy them,” he shuffled in his seat, trying not to sob anymore. Viscaris’s presence made him remember things he hadn’t done. Screams, sobs, aeons of torture and the most poisonous of it all, love and trust being broken – Viscaris breathed in that air. </p><p>“You must,” Chanyeol’s voice spoke, “I want to stop suffering, child, so you must help me.”</p><p>Baekhyun stepped forward, his legs quivering under the darkness that surrounded Viscaris. He fell onto his knees, half-way through, pathetically crawling towards him and with shaky hands, he grabbed the scythe, and held onto the chains –</p><p>“How?” He asked, looking at Viscaris, “How will these open?”</p><p>“Use your light,” Chanyeol replied, “Aurora used hers.”</p><p>“Then shouldn’t…” He turned back to Chanyeol who stood frozen, beady eye moving about when through him, Viscaris spoke – </p><p>“He’s touched by me.”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t ask anymore because he didn’t want to hear Chanyeol speaking in that voice any more or looking at him with those beady eyes. He wanted his Chanyeol, the soft nerd, the one person who never gave up on anything, who was relentless and whose eyes shone hazel under the sunlight, who had messy locks and a brilliant smile – Park Chanyeol. </p><p>Baekhyun summoned his lights, and the chains were gone just as that Chanyeol had. He grabbed the heavy black locks.</p><p>“The heir…can hear and see all of this,” the taller boy said, “He sees you suffering, and he sees me.”</p><p>Baekhyun looked up at Viscaris, and they locked eyes. The Lord had no emotion on his face, but those eyes showed him things. He was back at the Palace of Aurora when he was informed that Aurora had run away. Then, he was at a castle, fuming in rage as he realized the sins Aurora had committed. The scene changed and he was duelling Viscaris, before Aurora stabbed him, threw him and his sword in the ocean, and then, everything stopped.</p><p>Baekhyun blinked, “Why…why did you show me that?”</p><p>“The heir saw Aurora, too,” Chanyeol spoke, “Misery comes and goes in circles. However, both of you have been pulled into this circle because of the curses. You don’t belong here, among us.”</p><p>A sweat bead dripped down his temple. What was Viscaris trying to say?</p><p>“You aren’t Aurora, and you aren’t Elijah. They failed their love, and their love failed them. Buried beneath curses and power is the same misery that most people go through – a broken heart.” Chanyeol’s words were sharp, jabs upon jabs, “You aren’t them, so remember ‘Habere non haberi’ – To possess, not be possessed.”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t understand half of the things he said. Was Viscaris asking them to fight against the spirits? Why was he talking about love? But among all these questions, another question came to his mind, “The curse on Chanyeol…it isn’t reversible?”</p><p>“It’s by Aurora, not by me.”</p><p>No. “There must be some way in which we could grant your eternal peace without Chanyeol…” tears flooded his eyes, “Dying.”</p><p>The cave remained silent save for the sounds of water dripping down the crystalline stalactites. After forever, Chanyeol’s voice spoke –</p><p>“I’ve already told you the answer.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 7 November (44 days left)</strong>
</p><p>Chanyeol gasped in relief as he gained back complete consciousness. It was as if he had been drowning for years and had finally come out for air. Life blew into him, down his veins and nerves, settling into his bloodstream.</p><p>“Are you…okay?” Baekhyun, with his hands on his knees, looking at him with utmost concern, asked. Chanyeol gulped and turned away from him –</p><p>“I’m fine.” His voice was cold, and he felt the shorter boy wince. They were back in the room. The sun was about to rise. Throughout the long dragon ride back home, he’d been in a state of semi-consciousness, mulling over words, facts, voices and dreams. If you wanted to be a mastermind who devoted all their time into solving vague puzzles, living through the Aurorian Myth would be a wonderful experience! He wanted to snort at himself – how fake. </p><p>He stood up, about to enter the washroom when a delicate hand grasped at the hem of his shirt. He turned back, glaring at the boy sitting on the bed, “What.”</p><p>“I have another question.”</p><p>“Shoot.”</p><p>Baekhyun gazed down, biting his lips – it was a wonder he hadn’t chewed out his lips already – before he looked up, unshed tears glimmering in his eyes, “Are – are we okay?”</p><p>No answer. </p><p>He hated not answering, but this was something he didn’t want to answer. </p><p>“C-Chanyeol?” Baekhyun pleaded, “Let’s not be – be so vague about everything. Don’t say ‘maybe’ or ‘I don’t know.’ Just…give me an answer. Tell me ‘yes,’” Baekhyun’s eyes were on him, so damn hopeful, his chest so tight, “Or no.”</p><p>Chanyeol sighed, “Baekhyun, I don’t want to-”</p><p>“I want a yes or a no.” He swallowed his sob down, chest heaving and his red eyes brimming with anger and misery, “A fucking yes or a no, Chanyeol!” His shrill voice slammed against the windows, banged the walls and threw a ball of hate right at Chanyeol. </p><p>And he didn’t know why he did what he did next. It could’ve been frustration because Baekhyun was shouting at him, demanding answers. It could’ve been anger at deities always possessing him and speaking in vague, unclear riddles. It could’ve been hatred over himself and being rude and distant. It could’ve been his hurt at the fact that Baekhyun…that Baekhyun just – </p><p>“It’s a no.” He spat it out, “When has it ever been a yes?” </p><p>With those words, he walked into the bathroom and closed it shut – partly, so he could wash his face, but mostly, so that he didn’t have to hear Baekhyun’s heartbreaking sobs. </p><p>Why are you doing this, Park Chanyeol? </p><p>You aren’t like this. </p><p>You love him. So, why do you keep pushing him away? </p><p>‘They failed their love, and their love failed them. Buried beneath curses and power is the same misery that most people go through – a broken heart.’ </p><p>Chanyeol clenched his jaw, hand upon his chest, as he tried to focus on his heartbeats and not the sobs that came from outside the door, heartbroken. </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sic ego nec sine te nec tecum vivere possum - So I can’t live either without you or with you</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“What about the other objects?” Baekhyun spoke, hours later, when they sat in the empty house with the objects lying in front of them, “The dove?”</p><p>“Sunset Valley,” Chanyeol answered, “She had written, ‘And as I stood, watching the sunset in the valley, I let the bird go.’ Pretty self-explanatory, right?”</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t respond. He grabbed a thick sharpie and wrote it down on his arm. Chanyeol frowned, and Baekhyun shrugged, “Just in case, I decide to kill you and get deported back.”</p><p>“You sound…enthusiastic about dying.”</p><p>“Because I get to kill you,” he replied, done with scribbling, “And I get to go home. It’s a bonus combo.”</p><p>Chanyeol – wisely – did not reply, “Then there is the locket. About this, she’d written, ‘I wore it on my neck, something only you had seen. Everyone will see it, but they won’t know; and if they knew, they won’t dare.’ Vague, but it’s in Crosswords. She was in Crosswords at this time.”</p><p>Baekhyun jotted that down, “We got the flower, chains and scythe…now there’s his cloak at the Fortress of Sin.”</p><p>“It’s in the Mist, let’s get back to it later,” Chanyeol underlined it, moving onto the next object, “Aurora’s Regret.”</p><p>“It’s still confusing.”</p><p>“She wrote ‘The end. I said it, but it is still not here. We notice time in its inactivity, so I decided I’ll look at myself. And I looked ugly – and that is my regret.’” Chanyeol looked at the notebook for a long time, before shrugging, “Any ideas?”</p><p>“Isn’t…it a mirror?” Baekhyun cringed, “She’s looking at herself, so it’s a mirror or a glass.”</p><p>Chanyeol thought about it, “I don’t know, could be. Next is, ah my favourite, <em>me.</em>” He watched Baekhyun’s expression, but the boy remained stoic, “Well, you could just kill me since you already want to do that.”</p><p>“Shut up,” Baekhyun threatened, “I’ll decide what I shall do.”</p><p>“What about us being a team?” Chanyeol asked, feeling his heart squeeze, “Wasn’t I ‘your smarter counterpart’?”</p><p>Baekhyun leaned back, looking at him with eyes that weren’t in the mood for bullshit, “Yeah, you were, until you resigned a few hours back. Or did you forget that?”</p><p>
  <em>I wish I could. I wish you could, too.</em>
</p><p>He coughed, reading out the last item, “The crown of the leader of the Veyshigi clan.”</p><p>“We’re doomed,” Baekhyun said matter-of-factly, “There’s no way this plan is going to work out.”</p><p>“That’s what you said about Magnus,” Chanyeol pointed out, “But we’re safe now.”</p><p>“I – please, don’t…talk.” A muscle twitched in his face, “Don’t talk more than you need to.” Chanyeol inspected him, watching him compose himself, piece by piece. He was beautiful, and strong…but more than anything, Byun Baekhyun was the sun. He could be the soft spring sunlight that struck your phase, or he could be the hot ball of lava that burnt you up. He was <em>powerful.</em></p><p>“Let’s – let’s just destroy the objects,” Chanyeol suggested, moving closer, “Do we just -?” He put his fire on the chain that got hotter, and hotter, but it didn’t <em>break.</em></p><p>“Move,” Baekhyun flicked his wrist, Luna in his hands, and cast the chant, <em>“Sticks and stones may break your bones!” </em>If a person wasn’t careful while casting that, they could accidentally convert their femur into a wooden slab, but Byun Baekhyun was a prodigy. The chant succeeded, and the chain snapped, “Now, that was simple-”</p><p>Before the words were out, a dark light spread out into the room, a shrill scream and the windows shattered. Pain and agony struck the room in waves, in heavy tremors and dark waves, it bounced off surfaces and –</p><p>“Don’t let it hit you!” Chanyeol shouted, pulling Baekhyun under the bed with him, hugging him close, and even as the shrill noise continued, for a moment he let himself get distracted by the smell of strawberries on Baekhyun’s hair – <em>nice.</em></p><p>“Chanyeol, duck!”</p><p>The noise went on for a few more seconds before it came to a stop. Everything silenced down. Wind whistled into the room, the shattered glasses glimmering in the sunlight. They stepped out –</p><p>“What was…that?” Chanyeol asked.</p><p>Baekhyun turned to him, with wide-eyes, “Don’t you understand what we had just done, Chanyeol? We destroyed a centuries-old curse; broke the chains that had held Viscaris for so long. We just <em>killed </em>a part of him.”</p><p>Chanyeol wasn’t happy or sad. He hadn’t felt those simple emotions in a long time. Now, he felt powerful, staring at himself in a different light –</p><p>“That’s – that’s wow.”</p><p>They moved on to the next object: Viscaris’ scythe. The curved blade had haunted him for weeks, and it was time to destroy him. Chanyeol pointed Pearl at the damn object and cast the same chant. There was another scream – shriller, and the shattered glass shattered more, vibrating in the power that it radiated. Memories struck his mind; memories that weren’t his.</p><p>And it was gone, and all that remained of the Scythe was dust.</p><p>“One more down,” Baekhyun reached out for the flower-jar, “Damn, we’ve got to fix this house, though. Can’t imagine Mrs. Cornels coming back home with her kids and looking at all this destruction.”</p><p>“I kind of want to see their reaction,” Chanyeol admitted, “Even if it’s rude.”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “Won’t be the rudest thing you’ve done.”</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t reply. He fixed his sleeves, and brandished Pearl, “Shall we move on?”</p><p>“Go ahead,” Baekhyun sauntered over to the corner of the room, eyes on the flower, “I hope we don’t break this house.”</p><p>Chanyeol cast the chant, and familiar red light zapped out of his wand, swerving around until it blasted the flower. Baekhyun waited for the scream and mini-explosion.</p><p>But it never came.</p><p>Instead, light shot up from the flower. It engulfed the room, and suddenly, Baekhyun was pulled into an image. In front of him, was a younger Baekhyun, gazing at the floor. The smell of old, familiar wood and books tugged at his gut – this was Crosswords Academy. He looked around. There was his past self, and the corridor that led to his house room. This Baekhyun was weak, hesitant, and afraid. Noises of children playing in the room reached him, but he stood there, like a worthless statue.</p><p>Footsteps sounded his way, and the younger Baekhyun flinched. His eyes were wide as saucers, taking in the sight of the clumsy, chubby man, with thick-rimmed glasses and ugly bangs, holding a stack of books in his arms –</p><p>“Oh, um, hi!” the new-comer squeaked out, looking at the books as if he was caught in a crime, “Please don’t tell anyone. I just wanted to read these books…but it’s only in the library, so I sneaked out and got it during the welcoming ceremony.”</p><p>The young Baekhyun was enamoured, “On – on the first day of school?”</p><p>“Yeah…I’ve wanted it for a long time,” the boy giggled, sheepish, “What – so, what are <em>you </em>doing here?”</p><p>“I’m from this house,” Baekhyun pointed to the Aphrodite gate, “You?”</p><p>“Oh, same! What’s your name?”</p><p>“B-Baek-” he choked on his saliva and coughed. The boy came closer to him, patting his back.</p><p>“Baek?” That was the first time. Baekhyun’s heart hurt. <em>He hadn’t heard it for so long.</em></p><p>“Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun,” the younger Baekhyun finally gasped out, “Yeah, that’s me.”</p><p>“Holy Elan,” the chubby boy exclaimed, and the stack of books fell to the ground, “You are the heir!”</p><p>Baekhyun still didn’t understand what that exactly had meant. The nice man, Elan, had just told him that they’d talk later. He shrugged, “Yeah…that.”</p><p>The chubby boy narrowed his eyes, “Are you okay?”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes darted up, “Y-Yes! I am okay.”</p><p>The chubby boy had stared at him for a while, before pointing to his stack, “Do you like books?” When Baekhyun had not answered, he continued, “There’s tons of stuff! I’ve those children stories that truly, have always been creepy to me. I’ve got this huge historical book that dates back to the 13<sup>th</sup> Century. Here, we have some encyclopaedias – the rarest ones and-”</p><p>Baekhyun giggled, “You’re such a nerd.”</p><p>The boy had pouted, “Are you making fun of me?”</p><p>Upon seeing his sad face, the little Baekhyun had immediately corrected himself, “No, no – that’s not what I meant! I just – I mean, you are a nerd, but nerds are <em>cool.</em>”</p><p>The boy fixed his glasses, “They are, right? So, say would you like to be one with me?”</p><p>Baekhyun had just opened his mouth when there was a shout –</p><p>“Children, go into your respective house rooms or you’ll lose points!”</p><p>The chubby boy had grabbed his hands, pulling him into the Aphrodite room. They skipped past the living room areas, and entered a hallway, where they finally stopped, giggling and laughing.</p><p>“That was fun,” Baekhyun gave him a thumbs-up, “Very fun.”</p><p>The chubby boy just giggled, “I still feel…happy.”</p><p>They giggled some more, before Baekhyun said, “And I’d love to read with you,” he paused, and scratched his head, “W-What is your name?”</p><p>The boy just smiled at him, so kind, with hazel flecks sparkling in them, “Park Chanyeol.”</p><p>And they looked at each other, sparkling eyes, drowning in the wine that was youth, when Baekhyun had said, “I feel like we’re going to be forever close.”</p><p>“Yes! Let’s be forever-close.”</p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun went into their rooms, but Baekhyun didn’t glide with them. He tried to walk and was surprised when he could move, but the doors were shut. It was just him, and this dim-lit hallway. His heart was raging, and his mind was a conflicted war zone. The promises of yesterday haunted him today.</p><p>Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it burnt in one.</p><p>“Hey.” He flinched, putting his head out of his hands, and staring at the source of the voice. Chanyeol – the present Park Chanyeol – was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall, staring at him. His eyes were red. He had probably seen the entire thing, too.</p><p>Baekhyun swallowed his sob, “Hi.” His voice was tight, and he breathed hard. He had been crying tons these days, and he hated it. He hated everything.</p><p>Chanyeol raised his hand, lazily holding onto a finger of Baekhyun’s. None of them said anything as Chanyeol tangled his hand with his, the familiar warmth, and the slight hardness that he had missed so much.</p><p>Muffled sounds came from the doors, and the living room as children played, talked, and little Chanyeol and Baekhyun read the book. They were all happy. They had no idea what would happen years later. The little Baekhyun and Chanyeol…had no idea that their innocent love would lead to <em>this, </em>that after years of talking, a time would come where they couldn’t <em>speak.</em></p><p>The sob was getting harder to control, and it must have shown on his twisted face, because Chanyeol tugged onto his hand.</p><p>“B-Baek,” Chanyeol breathed out, shaking his head, and sounding so, <em>so </em>tired, “Just – just come here.”</p><p>Baekhyun should’ve fought with him, but the hazel flecks in those eyes had never been so prominent. After so long, Chanyeol’s aura was pure, clean. This was Park Chanyeol – just his regular nerd. He dropped into those hands, and Chanyeol caught him, sliding his hand around his body. With a hand on his nape, he pushed Baekhyun’s head onto the junction between his shoulder and neck, and he let Baekhyun cry.</p><p>“I don’t like – like that, these days, we’re crying so much,” Chanyeol’s voice broke, “I don’t want you to cry…but it’s always <em>me </em>that ruins everything, and I – Baek – I don’t know <em>why.</em>”</p><p>It was painful hearing it. Baekhyun weaved his hand through the nerd’s hair and brought his face down.</p><p>“When I say those things to you…I don’t know where they come from. Once they’re out, I’ll ask myself, again and again, <em>why. </em>And when I want to smile at you, something just keeps me from doing it,” Chanyeol sobbed, “It’s like I’m paralyzed in my own body. I’m so scared, Baek, I feel like between Viscaris and Aurora’s constant analysis of everything I do and say…I’d lose myself.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s shoulders were slumped. He was sobbing like the world had ended, and if Baekhyun didn’t do anything quick, it might as well. Baekhyun raised his chin and looked into his eyes. Instead of saying anything, he just planted his lips against Chanyeol’s.</p><p>It had been long.</p><p>Chanyeol’s lips were salty, and he sucked the tears off, flicking his tongue everywhere he could reach, grasping onto his shoulders tightly, as Chanyeol had his hands firmly implanted on his waist. They sucked each other’s lips, passionate, nipping and nibbling like a crazed animal.</p><p>When they parted, Baekhyun hugged him, “I love you – the Park Chanyeol I’ve known and grown with, and until I’m here, I won’t stop reminding you of who you are.” He kissed his temple, “Just like Viscaris said, right? To possess, not to be possessed.”</p><p>Chanyeol nodded, breathing shakily, “I’ll fight them, Baek. I’ll try, but-”</p><p>“You’ll try,” Baekhyun breathed out, “That’s enough.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s hands massaged his hair, whispering a soft ‘I love you’ in his ears. He had missed those fingers, that warmth, and that voice. Sure, they had changed, but they had changed together. Baekhyun would love every part of Chanyeol, as long as it <em>remained </em>Chanyeol. He’d kiss all those insecurities away, and he’d put an end to this mess. Love drove people mad, and he would happily be mad, and dream of a peaceful world, where they could be together.</p><p>A battered, bruised and wounded soldier, with kinks in his armour and tear-streaks on his cheeks, he would stand in the arena, staring at the East where the sun would rise.</p><p>Baekhyun slid Luna out of his pocket, and Chanyeol nodded at him. Time was only running out. While they could stay in this dreamy world for infinity, loving and being loved, they had to come back to reality. They had to win.</p><p><em>“Si vis pacem, para bellum,” </em>Baekhyun cast, and the dreamy world swirled around him. He closed his eyes, and brought Chanyeol to him, lips on his crown, “If you want peace-”</p><p>“-Prepare for war,” Chanyeol finished, and the hurricane fastened around them, dumping them back to the shattered room. The last rays of the sun filtered through the broken window panes. He could hear Mrs. Cornels’ devastated shouts from the corridor –</p><p>“Where – where did you go?”</p><p>Before they could answer, the flower of peace shattered. Baekhyun gestured for her to leave them alone –</p><p>“We’d fix this.”</p><p>She left the room, hesitantly so, and the sun set. When Chanyeol turned to look at him, his eyes were diluted shades of black again. Baekhyun sighed.</p><p>“Fight, Chanyeol,” he whispered, “You must fight-”</p><p>Before the words could finish, <em>he </em>lit up to life, forcing Baekhyun under with impressive strength. Baekhyun’s body yawned, like a cat, before they settled onto the shattered glass. His sea-green eyes were different now. He held a sword in his hand –</p><p>“Been quite some time since I slept, hasn’t it, my dear Viscaris?” Chanyeol switched; Viscaris burning through him. Baekhyun just smirked, “Well, not to worry. I, Elijah, am here to put an <em>end </em>to you.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>They were fighting.</p><p>Elijah’s sword landed at Viscaris’s side and he winced, quickly deflecting with his own scythe. They went on at it, like boars. Through his subdued consciousness, Baekhyun could hear fast and sudden raps at the door. It had been shut.</p><p>Viscaris pulled back, before launching at Elijah, who twisted and leapt to the other side, before landing his sword onto Viscaris’s throat. <em>And here she comes, </em>Baekhyun thought, <em>the almighty protagonist. </em>Chanyeol’s sea-green eye glowed, and she stood through. The dialogues went on. Stupid, dumb Elijah exclaiming his shock at seeing his lover.</p><p>Then, said lover drove a sword through his chest. Baekhyun screamed and shouted, writhing around in pain, as Elijah melted back, and Chanyeol stood in front of him, dazed, confused and hurt.</p><p>“Fuck.” It was the first thing he did, before leaning down and grasping his hand, “No, no, no. We <em>just </em>made up – why the fuck Viscaris – shit, Baek? Baek, don’t – the fuck!”</p><p>Even though, he was going to die, in like, ten seconds, he managed to chuckle, “Dumb nerd; you’re such a dumbass.”</p><p>Chanyeol just shook his head, and held him closely, as if that would stop him from leaving. He wasn’t leaving by choice, okay?</p><p>“Chan – don’t – don’t cry when I’m gone,” Baekhyun choked out, “I hope – memories come fast. You, get in contact with friends…and destroy the bird and-”</p><p>“Her regret. I’d do that. Find the locket and the sword,” Baekhyun nodded, and Chanyeol, the weak-ass, sobbed, “Can’t believe we’re planning when you’re – you’re D-wording.”</p><p>Baekhyun would’ve kicked him, “Idiot. Dumbass. You bitch – I hate you – and if you – if you want to hear…” he was fading, “An ‘I love you’ then you better not die; and we better grandly celebrate your birthday…okay?”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>
  <em>The cycle will repeat until you make it right, Aurora.</em>
</p><p>They heard it, loud and clear, and it was Baekhyun’s cue. He shut his eyes…and he simply didn’t open them.</p><p>For Chanyeol, it wasn’t that simple. He had to watch his boyfriend blow up into light streams, joining the other debris in the room. Now, he lay in the room among tons of shattered glasses and dead lives…but he wasn’t heartbroken. He had promised Baekhyun something; and he would not turn back on his words.</p><p>He cleaned the room with quick chants and walked out of the room. Arthus Cornels had just returned home. Chanyeol moved towards him.</p><p>“How do I contact Aurorians from here?”</p><p>“There’s – there are ways.” The man stuttered, “Who do you want to talk to?”</p><p>“Oh Sehun.”</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Non nobis solum nati sumus - Not for ourselves alone are we born</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Tuesday, 10 November (41 days left)</strong>
</p><p>“Look, I had absolutely no idea, okay?” Sehun, ever so dramatic, splayed his hands in front of him, “Dude, my parents are legit the shittiest ever. I haven’t had a proper conversation with them for <em>years.</em>”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, “I know, Sehun, I know. And I’m not blaming you or something, but I’m asking for your help. We need to get the objects.”</p><p>Jongin, who had teleported Sehun here, raised his hand, “I’m automatically in.”</p><p>“Of course you are,” Chanyeol nodded, before letting out a snort, “Jongin's into every plan, because his power is the most useful.”</p><p>Jongin flicked his tongue, “Now, don’t be jealous.”</p><p>“I’m not jealous. I’m happy you’re our friend.”</p><p>“I know right,” Jongin eased himself into the couch, “I could have cooler, non-problematic friends who didn’t get possessed by deities and ended up killing each other.”</p><p>Chanyeol knew he was joking, but it still hit home. Out of every person in the world, why did they have to go through this? He shouldn’t be deflecting the pain onto someone else, but he had all rights to question: <em>why?</em></p><p>“Youth is a different time,” Nicolas commented as he entered the room with a tray of food, “You’ve been discussing and talking for the past three hours, now.”</p><p>Chanyeol thanked him for the snacks, “We need to make sure everything is fool-proof.”</p><p>“I’m sure you’d succeed,” Nicolas said, smiling at them, before moving out, “Even if things go wrong, you’ll find a way. I trust you with that.”</p><p>Once he was out, Jongin leaned in, “He’s really kind.”</p><p>“Yeah, he is. I told you that he’s-”</p><p>“Yes, we know Chanyeol. He’s the one who taught Baekhyun when he was younger.”</p><p>Chanyeol bit the biscuit, “Right, he lived in the-”</p><p>“In a nearby cottage,” Sehun glared at him, “You’re telling this to us for the hundredth time now.”</p><p>“Well, I can’t help it because-”</p><p>“It is an important detail of Baekhyun’s life and it has shaped him,” Jongin finished.</p><p>“Whoa,” Chanyeol looked from one to the other in bewilderment, “How did you figure out what I was going to say?”</p><p>“Did we not mention you saying it for the hundredth time today?”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, “Might’ve missed that <em>little </em>detail.”</p><p>“Yeah, little,” Sehun sneered, “The size of his-”</p><p>“Best-friend called Kyungsoo!” Jongin interrupted, hands blocking his ears, “Sehun, I’m going to ask Sir Nicolas to add holy water to your tea.”</p><p>Sehun snorted, “Go on, then. But that doesn’t change the fact that Chanyeol is a big-”</p><p>“-softie for Baekhyun!” Jongin nodded, “Yep, that’s what he is – what we all are.”</p><p>Chanyeol let them argue and stared at the room that Baekhyun and he had stayed in a few days ago. Things had gone wrong from here. But today, Chanyeol would make sure that things went right. While Sehun and Jongin were dumb, they were his lovely friends who would stop at nothing to support him.</p><p>“What are you thinking?” Sehun demanded.</p><p>“I’m not really sure,” Chanyeol bit his lips, staring down, “I’m just…hoping for the best.”</p><p>Short silence spanned the room as they realized the danger they were in. Two days ago, Chanyeol had contacted Sehun with the special device called <em>telia </em>and explained the situation to him. Then, he rode upon Freisty, hesitantly so, because he was no Baekhyun when it came to dragon-riding and came back to the hut. Today morning, Sehun and Jongin had joined him.</p><p>“Let’s…think of nice things,” Jongin suggested, “We’re leaving for the woods in two days. Must be a bit cheerful, right?”</p><p>Sehun shrugged, “Do the ‘nice things’ include Kyungsoo?”</p><p>Jongin hummed, his hand folded under his chin, “Not really,” he decided, “But they include Kyungsoo’s tininess.”</p><p>“Is that even a word?” Sehun wasn’t impressed.</p><p>“Yes, it is dumbass. And if you look it up in a dictionary, you’ll find Kyungsoo’s name listed as the first item.”</p><p>“I disagree,” Chanyeol stated, “Kyungsoo is short but his…aura is taller than every other being, so the correct representative of the tiny community is obviously Baekhyun.”</p><p>“Baekhyun is tiny, but he gives me…parental vibes, you know?” Jongin turned towards Sehun, “Don’t you feel like one of his thirty-five children.”</p><p>Sehun nodded, “I’m his favourite child.”</p><p>“Excuse me,” Chanyeol interrupted, “I’m his favourite child.”</p><p>Jongin pointed towards him, “Park Chanyeol. Did you just make him a single parent?”</p><p>“I-”</p><p>Sehun clapped his hands, laughing loudly, “Yes, he did! You should’ve pulled the boyfriend card, but you didn’t.”</p><p>“This is why Baekhyun keeps dying,” Jongin joked, gauging Chanyeol’s reaction, who just shrugged, “I honestly don’t know why I keep joking about it. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“It’s better than crying about it,” Sehun stated, throwing chips into his mouth, “Besides, at a point like this, we must not be cautious about the D-word.”</p><p>“So, you’re expecting us to d-word?” Chanyeol raised his head. He wasn’t angry or sad, but he wanted honest opinions, and only Sehun could speak without filter.</p><p>Sehun smacked his lips, “I’ll be honest, Yeol. I’d go to any edge to protect you guys, but if there <em>is </em>a war…or just, you know, you have to get the clan leader’s crown and destroy Viscaris inside you; we’ll try to find loopholes, but in general, we should familiarize ourselves with ‘death.’”</p><p>It was strange how words were just sounds that came from one’s mouth, and it was strange how those sounds held the power of making Chanyeol’s body freeze. It all hit him at once –</p><p>“We…could actually die.”</p><p>Sehun shook his head, “You <em>could, </em>but death will have to struggle harder if it wants you. Because none of us are going down without a fight. That’s what our friendship has been for years, and that is what it will be for years to come.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> Sehun’s words should have settled him down, but they had the opposite effect. Chanyeol could barely sleep that night. His mind was riddled with a single question.</p><p>
  <em>None of us are going down without a fight. That’s what our friendship has been for years, and that is what it will be for years to come.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The cycle will repeat, Aurora…until you make it right.</em>
</p><p>What went wrong? What had to be fixed?</p><p>
  <em>They failed their love, and their love failed them. Buried beneath curses and power is the same misery that most people go through – a broken heart.</em>
</p><p>For years upon years, the cycle had repeated. Elijah hurt Viscaris, Aurora killed Elijah. Repeat. Hurt, kill, repeat. How…how could they stop it? How could Viscaris <em>die</em>?</p><p><em>I cursed my lover and she's going to drown me, wish we both had just killed ourselves to save our love and our peace – </em>that was the sentence written on the last page of Elijah’s book. Chanyeol turned on the bed. Sehun and Jongin were on his left, snoring lightly. But, Chanyeol could only focus on the upcoming sun, as it clicked in his mind.</p><p>The answer wasn’t fighting. The answer was love.</p><p>And ‘love’ was insane, mad, miserable, unfair, even more than Misery. As the sun rose, he gulped the last of the hesitation away. Sacrifices had to be made so that the sun kept shining over the kingdom every day.</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Medio tutissimus ibis - You will be the safest in the middle</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol hated going back to the woods. Every spot reminded him of Baekhyun, and not all of them were nice memories. Sure, there were some beautiful memories that he treasured a lot. They came back to him when they set out camp at the same spot Baekhyun and he had, under the stars. </p><p>“We confessed here,” he had a smile on his face, “And watched the stars. They’re really pretty from here.”</p><p>“I can see that,” Jongin’s voice was awed, as he stared at the open, dreamy sky with childlike wonder, “It’s something worth living for.”</p><p>Even Sehun, who normally found it hard to bite back rude comments and honest opinions, was tongue-tied, “Things like this make me believe in existence.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, “And Junmyeon’s ‘hot body’ doesn’t.”</p><p>“That makes me believe in sin.”</p><p>They kept quiet, staring at those million stars. Chanyeol’s eyes drifted onto a certain one. Unlike other colourful stars, this was a basic white. It twinkled a lot, as if it couldn’t stop crying, and was in the centre of a dark patch. Chanyeol watched it with a fond smile; because the star might not be the biggest or the most colourful, but it was beautiful, pure, and bright, lightening up the darkness around it. </p><p>Byun Baekhyun, you’re just like that star. </p><p>The thought comforted his longing heart and he yawned, “I’m going to sleep, guys.” He pulled inside the tent, and closed his eyes, dreaming about a little star.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>He opened his eyes. </p><p>Life dawned into his arms. Staggering, he stood up from the cold, broken bench he was sitting on, gazing around with the tilt of a curious child. Dark walls surrounded him. Shivering, he eyed the ivy running across the top and encompassing both open sides of the place he was in. A haunting breeze, that smelt like apples, berries, grass and snakes at the same time, blew from the right while the smell of fresh fields and soil came from the left. In front of him were broken tracks of a train; and though the place was old and weary, he sat back onto the bench, crossing his knees, and staring at the tracks.</p><p>He was waiting for the train to come. </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dulce bellum inexpertis - War is sweet to those who have never experienced it</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Thursday, 12 November (39 days left)</strong>
</p><p>The forest buzzed with life. Insects, frogs, birds sang their tunes. Flowing water cascaded down the streams, and the wind shuffled the leaves sitting on their feet. The lazy sun peeked over at the beauty below, with a chuckle. Chanyeol lodged his leg against another crevice on a rock, before pulling himself up. Staring above, he tried to find the mystical red bird – a red dove.</p><p>They stood at the centre of the Sunset Valley, deep into the forest. Chanyeol’s magnet was askew, the dials and the arrows resembling an uncontrollable magnet. And when science went wrong…it meant there was <em>magic.</em></p><p>“Did you guys find anything?” He shouted at the top of his lungs over to Sehun and Jongin, who were using their powers to map the entire area. Sehun was above him, moving about, ducking into trees as if he were Peterpan, while Jongin zapped from the branch of one tree to another. But it was all in vain.</p><p>“No,” Sehun leaned in towards another tree, “Are we sure it’s here?”</p><p>“Yes.” Chanyeol took another helpless glance, “It’s a big, red dove. Why can’t we find it?”</p><p>Suddenly, Jongin zapped in front of him, sighing, “I think we should take a break.”</p><p>Chanyeol shrugged, and sat down upon the rock, his hands wrapped around his knees. The sounds of the forest were therapeutic, and he loved the earthy smell. But he couldn’t enjoy it because of the murky clouds that lay ahead. Somewhere inside, his heart ached with longing for Baekhyun. Yes, his lover would return. But was it selfish of him to wish that they were here now, sitting and holding hands?</p><p>“It’s calm,” Jongin commented, “It makes me think of Kyungsoo. He’s very…earthly?”</p><p>Sehun gasped, “Oh my! Could it be because he’s an Earth elemental?”</p><p>Jongin gave him a look, “Shut up, idiot.”</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t know what miracle had happened, but Sehun did shut up. The noodly-boy shrugged and looked towards the forest floor, staring at the dried, fallen leaves. Sounds of birds filled the silence. A yellowing leaf swirled in the air, before falling on top of Chanyeol’s head. He smiled and picked it away.</p><p>“It’s very peaceful,” Sehun breathed the words out, letting his body soak into the feeling, “Aesthetic warm shades, good music, cool air. I’d give it five stars.”</p><p>Chanyeol snorted, “You just rated a forest.”</p><p>“We should open a forest agency,” Sehun suggested, “It would be a nice business. Since we’re all elementals, we’d take care of it.”</p><p>Chanyeol just smiled, imagining the peace that a life like that would bring it. He’d cherish a lot. Just like that, he understood just <em>why </em>Viscaris had accepted Aurora. If a person like Park Chanyeol wanted peace, then a deity who’d been cursed by eternal suffering would have <em>begged </em>for peace. While Viscaris couldn’t have had the forest itself, he had the peaceful presence behind the forest.</p><p>That was Aurora’s power. That was why people worshipped her.</p><p>
  <em>Peace.</em>
</p><p>A shrill, guttural sound echoed as the air parted.</p><p>“What was that?” Jongin immediately stood up, his eyes alert before a shadow crossed them. He paused, jaw hanging, “Oh.”</p><p>The red dove had its beautiful wings embedded with embers stretched, flying over them. Its dark shadow covered them, and its shiny eyes flashed before it moved away. None of them could stand up, until Sehun lifted his wand –</p><p>“I’d get her.” In a flash, he was up to the sky, his hands outstretched. Jongin was still standing, way too shocked to move, while Chanyeol sat still on the rock, looking up like an innocent child. Oh Sehun closed in right after the dove, and with a quick, booming chant, the dove shattered into tiny fires. A great scream echoed through the forest as the being dissolved into nothingness. A tear slipped down Chanyeol’s cheeks.</p><p>“Chanyeol!” Sehun screamed, “The forest is burning! Stop it.”</p><p>Jongin turned towards him, frozen tears, and complete panic on his face. That prompted Chanyeol to finally stand up. In a daze, he lifted Pearl, before putting it down again. The fires spread quickly. The pleasant minty scent of the forest had turned to smoke, ash, and gasoline, permeating through the air. The tree spirits flickered to life. Their eyes were panicked, green tears seeping down their bark. The ‘aesthetic’ dried leaves were now the fuel to the fire of death.</p><p>Fire burnt through everything, callous, cruel, heartless and hasty. He could barely see past the rising flames, tendrils of which licked at the very rock they were standing upon. The smoke made his head spin.</p><p>An image came to his mind. The city of Aurora, the street he lived in, Maple Leaf near the temple, and the library near the fountain…all of it burning as people screamed and shouted unheard pleas, as the gods raged hells – all because of a failed love story.</p><p>“<em>Chanyeol,</em>” Jongin pleaded before erupting into a series of coughs, “Do something!” Sehun’s shouts reached his ears, flying above, flailing his arms. Chanyeol watched as the fires licked at Jongin’s shoes, before the boy jumped back, swaying, about to drop.</p><p>And finally, his senses returned. Chanyeol turned towards the flame, which was everywhere, and raised his arms, <em>“Carpe…Noctrem. </em>Seize the night.” The magic pulsed through his veins and the blood pounded in his ears as it all spilt out, and the fire died, leaving behind a cemetery.</p><p>Sehun dropped to the ground, ridden with sweat. Using your powers for so long was not a simple deed. The Oh heir was angry with him. It was obvious in the way his eyes flared, but he did not say a word. Instead, he helped Jongin to his feet –</p><p>“We have to take him back to the cottage,” Sehun spoke, not looking towards him, “He’s engulfed too much smoke.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol anxiously tapped his feet against the floor, trying to even out his breaths. Nicolas walked past him, giving him a look of pity, and brushing his shoulders, “It will be okay.”</p><p>Chanyeol did not believe him a bit, but he nodded. He just wanted to be left alone. The door to the bedroom in which Jongin was resting closed as Nicolas entered. Chanyeol stared at the floor, at the tiny scratches and red scars on his foot. Few were old, most of them were from this year. Other than the scars on his body, this year had scarred his mind. And there was only one other person who could understand. Chanyeol wondered where Baekhyun must be – if he still hadn’t regained his memories and was chilling out at the fields, or if he was back in Crosswords, hiding in the shadows.</p><p>The door opened, and Chanyeol gazed up, like a reprimanded child as Sehun stepped out, a calm but fiery rage to his steps. He came to a stop when he reached Chanyeol, and without missing a beat, he said –</p><p>“What the fuck did you pull back there, Park?” His eyes were ember, “Did you think it was funny? Here, Jongin was losing his breath, and you – you’re a<em> dumbass, </em>you were watching the flames?”</p><p>Chanyeol hung his head, not having enough courage to look at Sehun, “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“No, I don’t want ‘sorry.’ It doesn’t excuse this behaviour. If Freisty would’ve been a <em>second </em>late, we would have lost Jongin. He would’ve fainted and – do you have <em>any</em> idea how that would feel?”</p><p>Chanyeol’s eyes were filled with tears, “I do.”</p><p>Sehun paused, the hands that were on his waist slid down as Chanyeol raised his head. His eyes were dark, hurt…miserable. Under his eyes were the dark bags they hadn’t noticed. His lips were scratched. His skin was pale. There were tons of things that he hadn’t noticed.</p><p>“I didn’t – I don’t understand…” Sehun sighed, “You’ve been in life-death situations. You have reacted to them quickly. And today, it was fire – your element. Then why…?”</p><p>“Because it was <em>fire,</em>” Chanyeol slapped his knee, “The very thing that they’ve taunted me with, over and over again. ‘Crosswords shall burn in flame.’ They say, the kingdom burned and Aurora watched, all alone, preferably with a smile on her face. I won’t blame her, I mean, maybe I’d do the same if-”</p><p>“Chanyeol,” Sehun interrupted, “This – this is not you. This is not like you.”</p><p>The heir shrugged, “Well, I still watched the city. I imagined it all, burning in the flames, my element – but all I could do is <em>watch.</em> As it all burned to smoke and ash, I watched,” his voice cracked, “I – I <em>watched.</em>”</p><p>Sehun didn’t say anything for a few moments, before he wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a warm hug. Chanyeol’s chest heaved, thinking back of Jongin.</p><p>“He’d – he’d be okay, right? Jongin?”</p><p>Sehun nodded into his hair, “He’s a strong lad, and once he gets up, he won’t just watch, Park. He’d ask you to move his ass. And even if the city burns, you’re not going to watch it alone. I’ll fly up to where you are and throw you in the flames…for a little fun.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled. Sehun had a weird way of expressing his love, but he relished in it. </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ut avertam oculos meos ad intendum - I close my eyes in order to see</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Baekhyun was dreaming. He knew that, yet he scratched his head a few times at the sight in front of him. He was in the cave – just as he had been for a few days, not wanting to leave. He had been regaining his memories, but there were still so many gaps. He didn’t belong back at the wheat fields with his mother, but he didn’t belong at Crosswords from where he was kicked out either. So, he had decided upon staying in the railway tunnel. This could be his home.</p><p>Sitting upon the broken bench, he looked onto the wooden sleepers, held together by a gleaming iron rail, when he remembered it to be broken and rusted. As he watched, there was a deafening roar, as if the air was moving towards a particular spot. Bells tolled repeatedly, and steam and smoke filled the tunnel. Baekhyun gasped and shot up to his legs, his eyes on the left ivy covering which lifted. With wide eyes, he watched as a steam train entered the tunnel, the iron rails groaning, as it slowed down, emitting smoke.</p><p>He let out a shriek of delight, eyes upon the burning spot under the train, and the way those levers moved up and down, matching the rhythm of his heart. They shot steam and smoke and made sounds and holy fuck; he was seeing actual steam engines! The whistling increased, like a pressure pot topping off, and the steam engine came to a stop. It rumbled and shot more steam before the latch on one of the carriage doors unlocked, and the door was open. The carriage was expensive, lit up by grand candles, and the curtains of some of the seats were pulled. Baekhyun frowned, and his eyes fell upon the lettering. It spelt out –</p><p>
  <em>PCY21.12.2020</em>
</p><p>Ah, memories. They raced by him, around him and he looked at the scribbled list of items on his arm. Which day was today? He didn’t know, but surely, it couldn’t be twenty-first December…right? For the first time, he felt as if he should’ve <em>not </em>stayed in the cave. Now, he had no idea how much time had left.</p><p>But he knew that by staying here, he was wasting more of it.</p><p>PCY – Park Chanyeol, his lover, was waiting for him. With that thought he stepped on the carriage, eyeing the empty seats, the laid-out dinner, the washroom, the sleep cars in the back. A smile formed on his face. The door shut close, and the engine roared to life once again. He could feel the heat underneath his foot, the groaning of the sleepers, the pull of the metal, the burning of the coal and the shrill, but melancholic horns and whistles.</p><p>PCY21.12.2020 was well on its way…to wherever it had to take him. Now, he would go ahead, enjoy a great meal, read some magazines and sleep in a warm bed.</p><p>And that was what he did.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol had his eyes shut. He was sleeping on the couch, since Jongin needed some space. Nicolas only had a little more space in his room to fit a slim Sehun. The heir appreciated the space though. He wasn’t going to think; he was too tired to think, but the thoughts crawled up to him regardless. He thought about Aurora’s Regret, which made him think of their wrinkly-skeleton teacher, Gret. Baekhyun came into his mind, then. Baekhyun believed Aurora’s Regret was a mirror, and it was the best definition. Now, where was it?</p><p>With his eyes closed, he could picture the events of Aurora’s life better. He merged with her, asking her, ‘Aurora, where is the mirror?’ ‘Aurora, tell me.’ But those questions were spoken into the silence of his mind. He sighed, turning onto his side, and thinking of calm things…like Baekhyun. Slowly, sleep overtook him.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> A short man strode through the market. There were stalls on each side, ladies with their hairs in immaculate buns selling their wares, dressed up in long gowns and dresses. Chanyeol thought he was in Viscaris – a much more colourful Viscaris – but then, his eyes fell on the fountain, which was gleaming as people danced around it. The Aurorian tunes played out. People handed newspapers to each other. There were benches upon which tons of books were arranged, instead of the phone-call booths.</p><p>He was in the past.</p><p>Looking on ahead, he saw the short man glancing at both sides, before walking down the road. Dressed up in a fine suit, with his hair brushed to the side, the man attracted the attention of the people, who whistled to him –</p><p>“Byun!” A man, dressed in a long-puffy sleeved white shirt and red pants called out, “Where ya’ going in a frenzy?” Chanyeol’s eyes were wide. <em>Byun?</em></p><p>The men shook hands, and Chanyeol noticed that ‘Byun’ was holding a package in his hands, “Just to the temple, Amare. And why are you dressed so flamboyantly?”</p><p>‘Amare’ wriggled his eyebrows, “I look pretty fine, don’t I? I’ll be heading to the place where you work.”</p><p>‘Byun’ tilted his head, “The Academy?”</p><p>‘Amare’ nodded, “They’re setting up a musical community, paying me three bags’ worth of silver and gold. I’d be a fool to deny it now, won’t I?”</p><p>‘Byun’ chuckled at him, “After all, we come back to the same place, eh? You start from zero, you end at zero.”</p><p>‘Amare’ slapped his arm, “Now, don’t spew your historia textbooks. I wonder how the kids stay when you’re teaching.”</p><p>
  <em>So, this ‘Byun’ taught historia in the past, while ‘Amare’ was into something music.</em>
</p><p>The two men parted and Chanyeol trailed behind ‘Byun.’ He couldn’t help but think he seemed familiar…but the only Byun he knew was Baekhyun. Maybe, it was genes? Yeah, that must be it. They kept walking, and Chanyeol was enamoured by how different the city was. Horses were roaming the street. Men and women of distinct colours were dressed up in traditional clothes. Crosswords was still beautiful…and smelt amazing. When they entered the streets lined by shops, bakeries and cafés near the temple, Chanyeol allowed his nose to feast upon the warm, cherry bread, scones, dumplings, puddings, rotis and so many other aromatic foods.</p><p>The short man in front of him paused, staring at a small, wooden shop that didn’t attract much attention. There was a signboard on the shop, upon which a maple leaf was drawn. With a start, he realized this was The Maple Leaf, their favourite restaurant.</p><p>Byun stepped inside, and Chanyeol – the shadow that he was – slipped inside with him, gasping at the designs. There were many round wooden tables, but instead of the round wooden chairs, there were mats upon which people sat and drank. The clinking of glasses, the constant chatter, drunken shouts, and the noise of feet against the wooden floor faded into the background as Byun walked up to the counter. The lady behind the counter immediately let him in. Chanyeol followed him to the backroom.</p><p>“What? This is a cursed object, Byun,” the lady held the package in her hands, “This…holds more power than anything else.”</p><p>“That is why, Byul, I want it to stay here,” Byun sighed, “They’ll ask me to sign the pact. I can’t do anything.”</p><p>Byul bit her lip, “I’m your sister. Why – why would you wish for me to keep something – something like this? It contains <em>him, </em>brother.”</p><p>“I know, Byul. I know,” he sounded faint, “They’ll forget about it, sister. You’ll forget about it. Our friends have already descended to heaven, but they tried so hard to gain this, Byul. How could we just let it go?”</p><p>Byul looked torn, but she nodded. Pointing back at the main area of the restaurant, she said, “See the painting? I’ll put this behind it.” She opened the package, and Chanyeol watched, jaw unhinged, as the shiniest mirror he had ever seen in his life came out.</p><p>“I can never thank you enough,” Byun bowed to her, “I feel like I did them some justice…even if I failed.”</p><p>“What could you have done? They were destined to die,” Byun quickly wiped a tear off her cheeks, before looking at the mirror again, “What was this object again, Gwong-”</p><p>“Don’t call me that, Byul,” the man looked at his feet, “It’s Regret – the mirror stands for regret.” Chanyeol, who stood behind the man all this time, without taking a proper look at his face, gasped as the mirror reflected Byun’s face…it looked like –</p><p>“Gret,” Byun said, “Isn’t that a better name? Since, I’d have to live in regret for my entire life, Byul. I shouldn’t have accepted the blessing of immortality – it’s a curse. It’s all a curse…”</p><p>The sister consoled her broken brother and the scene slowly faded away. Chanyeol woke up, his mind racing. The sun wasn’t up, yet, but Chanyeol was. He barged into Nicolas’s room –</p><p>“I have news!”</p><p>Nicolas and Sehun groaned, but they woke up, staring at him in combined annoyance, “What is it, idiot?” Sehun asked.</p><p>“The puzzle is complete, Sehun,” he breathed out, before thinking, “At least the part I could manage.”</p><p>“What are you mumbling about?” Sehun wiped his eyes.</p><p>“Aurora’s Regret,” Chanyeol gasped out, “I know where it is. We just have to get it.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The wheels of the train screeched, the seats shook, and the windows rattled. Baekhyun sat perfectly still, eyes on the window. It was snowing outside. It had been snowing throughout the train ride. Muffled inside the train’s warm compartments, feeding onto meat and hot soup, he hadn’t felt the cold. But his trained eyes watched what he suspected was the first snow of the year – the beginning of cold, long nights, and the end of the bright sun. The bells tolled, and the train squeaked, horns shrill but comfortable.</p><p>Slowly, the train came to a halt. Baekhyun, dressed smartly in clothes that had been present in the empty compartments, stood up, brandishing Luna out of his dark, warm cloak. He walked towards the gate, and the latch came undone. He cast a last look at the warm, cosy train before staring out at the grounds ahead, covered with a fluff of white. Bitter winds snapped at his face, while the warmth of the train pulled him back.</p><p>But he had to step out into the real world, where the winds were harsh, and the rising sun was rare. A part of him hoped that this dream would become a memory he could lock deep into his heart and open it whenever he needed a burst of happiness. There was a high chance he would forget this. But a world of dreams, no matter how perfect it was, couldn’t compare to the real world – because that’s where Chanyeol was.</p><p>He stepped down, his movements were drawn out, yet they were certain. There was no coming back. Baekhyun put his feet on the cold snow, and the world darkened for a second before forming in front of his eyes. The white haze at the horizon changed to short buildings frosted with fresh snow. A long tower peeked out, colourful windows that were dulled by the pale sunlight. The ground beneath him became harder, and trees grew from there, extending to the sky. The wind caught onto the aroma of cream cheese, chocolates, and books. The lifeless air around him brimmed with life – pixies, fairies, dwarves, elves. Turning around, he watched as the image of the train slowly shattered, and a wall of ivy drew over it.</p><p>Between the cave where he was sitting on, and where he was standing on was just a simple ivy wall. Baekhyun could’ve walked here without a train.</p><p>Trains carried travellers to their destination. PCY21.12.2020 had prepared him for his journey.</p><p>A crow dipped down, holding a flyer in his beak, and dropped it on the ground. It was a newspaper. The crow had probably been finding a human he could give this to. Baekhyun leaned down and picked it up, dusting off the snow from the cover. His eyes fell on the date – <em>Thursday, 19 November. </em>He rolled it back, staring back at the ivy wall.</p><p>It would take probably twelve steps to walk from the bench to this place. It had taken Baekhyun twelve days.</p><p>Without wasting another minute, he took out his wand and, on a piece of the newspaper, he scribbled a letter. It was a clean, written, simple note, but it changed their entire game play.</p><p><em>“A little bird told me!” </em>Immediately, there was a flutter of wings and a little, yellow bird emerged, flapping its wings curiously. Baekhyun smiled at her, beckoning her closer. She put the paper into her mouth, tilted her little head up to look at him inquisitively.</p><p>“You have to try to be a little discreet about this one,” Baekhyun put her on his hand, raising it higher, “Deliver it to Do Kyungsoo.”</p><p>The yellow bird swept across the sky, in a fluttery, colourful mess. Baekhyun watched until she was out of his sight, before walking down the snowed path, towards his next goal. His orbs of light had died, and with a single flick of his hand, he made new ones appear. These were warmer, brighter, and moved around the area. That alerted everybody of his presence. The dwarves, elves and tree spirits gasped as the fairies and pixies fluttered around. Like always, Ivy emerged from her tree, bowing down –</p><p>“Bringer of Light. You’re here.” Everybody else bowed down, but he didn’t have enough time to chat with them. There was another goal that he had to accomplish.</p><p>“Ivy,” he spoke out, his words strong against the brutal winds, “May I request something of you?”</p><p>The elderly tree spirit stood up, curiosity reflecting in her eyes, clear as pools of water, “Of course, Baekhyun. What is it?”</p><p>He stepped closer, “You’ve watched generations rise and fall. And I need to know about a certain individual from one such generation.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“My mother. The Byun heir that everybody believed never existed.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Thursday, 19 November (32 days left)</strong>
</p><p>Kyungsoo’s chimney was always blowing smoke because the cooking never stopped. Located at Junction 98, just a few blocks away from the Temple, there were plenty of restaurants, cafes, and baristas that lined the roads. His house was one of them. He could never have a moment of peace because the bell at the door was always ringing, and Kyungsoo, although living on a floor above the restaurant, had to go through the pain of listening to it all.</p><p>He sighed, looking out at the white roads, the white houses, and the pale sky. He liked winters. They held a serenity and uniformity that other seasons did not. He loved how the soft snow melted in his hands, and how his cactus shone against the snow. During winters, nobody was going to ask him to stop wearing his usual assortment of black-everything that covered his body. He enjoyed watching the busy streets from his window, studying the footprints, the warm huddling of people.</p><p>But this winter was the worst.</p><p>Not even the early snowfall could make his heart calm. It felt like a bad omen. It had been <em>days </em>since Sehun had received that call and they had gathered in Jongin’s house, because Chanyeol’s house wasn’t safe anymore with so many posters around the city, with Chanyeol’s picture and long descriptions of how he went missing.</p><p>The Aurorian detectives, army, councils had questioned all of them, more than twice, if they had any idea about his whereabouts. They had lied, and just <em>hoped </em>that the council wouldn’t resort to feeding them the tonic of truth. Junmyeon’s father, who held an important post in the Council, wouldn’t let them anyway. Yoora had taken over the charge of ‘finding Chanyeol,’ so that helped their case.</p><p>Back to the gathering – Sehun had revealed that Chanyeol and Baekhyun had entered Veysigz, after crossing the mist. Kyungsoo had felt indescribable pride, but his concern for them had not allowed him to show that. He wondered how they were, had they eaten. His worries only increased when Sehun revealed that Chanyeol had mentioned their relationships being heavily strained, to a point where they were worse than enemies because enemies still <em>had </em>something. That had been a hard pill to swallow. None of them could picture a Chanyeol without a Baekhyun. So, for something to happen that could strain relations as strong as theirs…it was a terrifying thought.</p><p>But Chanyeol had mentioned that they had sorted it all out, before Baekhyun was killed. That had given them mixed feelings. On one side they knew Baekhyun was a renewable bomb, but every time the bomb ticked off, it brought massive destruction. On the other hand, they realized Chanyeol was alone in Viscaris. Then, Sehun had dropped the final bomb – that Chanyeol had requested of Sehun and Jongin to join him. He needed their help.</p><p>Both boys had agreed in a heartbeat, which was a <em>really </em>short time because after hearing the request, Kyungsoo’s own heartbeat had fastened to a deadly rate. Winters were special because of Jongin. During the holidays, the tanned boy would drape the fuzziest mufflers around him and move about with a cup of hot chocolate, a ready smile on his face and tour the winter market with Kyungsoo.</p><p>This year, things were hugely different.</p><p>Kyungsoo had thought that this year…maybe, by their birthdays in January, he was going to give a name to this special ‘relationship’ that they shared – that he had avoided for way too long. There was no denying the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach when Jongin so much as <em>breathed </em>around him. The tanned boy had already made it obvious that he was in <em>love </em>with him, without ever forcing him to even try. For the past many years, Jongin had waited patiently, but now, Kyungsoo wasn’t going to make him wait – not even until January. He’d kiss him the moment he met him, and that was a promise.</p><p>Completely occupied with thoughts of Kim Jongin, he had failed to see a little yellow bird landing on the rail of his balcony, until he heard the pipsqueaks. Yelping, he stepped back. <em>What the fuck was a little yellow bird doing when it was snowing? </em>Then, he noticed the paper it held in his beak. A letter? He stepped forward –</p><p>“Now, would you let me take that…” Carefully, he took the letter out of her mouth, before smiling at her, “If it’s cold you could come inside.” He spread his arms towards the warmer room and the little bird flew in. Kyungsoo smiled but that smile fell off when he looked at the piece of paper. He read it once, twice, and then raced downwards. Daffodils’ Glimmer , his family restaurant was in full swing, entertaining customers with their afternoon meals. His mother saw him –</p><p>“Oh, Kyungsoo. Could you take chopping duty back at the kitchen? Wheein wasn’t feeling great – hey, Do Kyungsoo!” Later he would regret not listening to her, but right now, he had more important things to do.</p><p>“Sorry, Ma! I need to visit Junmyeon. It’s important. Bye, I love you!” He added the last part, just in case…just in case, he didn’t return. Sehun’s parents hadn’t noticed him disappear, but now, joining Chanyeol’s ‘missing’ posters was the face of Kim Jongin. It would be a matter of time before they joined the dots. The disappearances of Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongin, Sehun…and now, more of them.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Verba volant, scripta manent - Spoken words fly away, written words remain</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Kyung-ja (I bet you missed that name),</p><p>When I tore the newspaper, it was with the intention that I would write you a note, but when I started writing I felt the need to speak. This year, we haven’t really had fun, since I was too busy reading heavy books and strolling into the forest. We didn’t get to talk much, and that’s something I regret. But it had to be done. I miss you. I think it all would’ve been easier if you were by my side. I told Chanyeol to contact you guys as my parting words, so I guess you know that I died – well, yeah, I was killed. Again. </p><p>This time, as I sat in the cave, I didn’t leave, Kyungja. I didn’t go back to the fields or Crosswords. I stared at the railway tracks, waiting for the train and it did come! I don’t know if it was magic or dreams, but I stand in the familiar woods, with my stomach full of the things I ate on the train and clothes that I wore there. The days in the dream sequence were cool, a tad bit empty, I missed you guys – just us, no deity trying to break through. I live more in dreams than reality, because all my nightmares crawl here. </p><p>I think I’d end up dying and that scares me but, I thought about it. If I’m dying, I’d prefer that people didn’t think of me as a traitor. Two objects hold Viscaris soul – I mean, there are ten, but for now, there are two that I need to destroy. Viscaris’ locket, and Elijah’s sword. The locket is at the temple – I think I know where it is. And the sword is beyond the temple, in the sea.</p><p>It’s a heavy request, Kyungja, that I’m making. It’s easy for me to go behind the flag of our kingdom, since I’m not a part of it, but for you, it’s harder, in ways I won’t know. Yet, I ask you. I need Jongdae because he’s read so many books. I need Junmyeon because we’d deal with going underwater. I need you…because I just do.</p><p>And it’s a heavier job that I’m handing over to everybody left – the War. It’s going to happen. They’re preparing, and we need to be updated. We need to get the clan’s leader’s crown without casualties. Meanwhile, I trust Chanyeol to do his part of the deal. We don’t have much time – barely a month. It’s all coming together, Kyungsoo, I just don’t want it all to fall apart now.</p><p>Yours,</p><p>Baekhyun.</p><p>➸</p><p>
  
</p><p>They sat in grim silence.</p><p>Five young men, staring at their laps after hearing the content of a letter, written beside the weekly scrabbles, and making important decisions, in a grim silence.</p><p>It was Junmyeon who spoke first, “I’ll help him. It might be hard to cover up my absence, if there is any but…I’ll help him.”</p><p>Yixing gazed up, “If one of us disappears, it’s better that all us go under the radar. We can’t risk them catching one of us and trying tricks on us to spill the truth.”</p><p>“Won’t it be better if they knew?” Jongdae asked, eyes flitting around, “If everybody knew, we could come to a collective decision – no.” He dropped his face into his hands, “I know that’s not going to happen. I don’t why I’m hesitating – I’m not like-”</p><p>“It’s because of your girlfriend, isn’t it?” Minseok spoke softly, and Jongdae nodded, his eyes red.</p><p>“Yes…we – Minseok, Yixing – everybody,” he breathed out, “You know I’m a legal adult by our rules, right? We turn adults at sixteen. I’m eighteen.”</p><p>Kyungsoo frowned, “Yeah, of course, you are-”</p><p>“I’m – I’m…she’s <em>pregnant.</em>”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>Short-lived silence, because then, in a cold, winter day where one of their friends was sitting in the woods, crying for the mother he never knew, whilst others had just stepped out of the cottage of a sad man, ready to impart on another deadly journey to find an object, their hearts missing home…for all of them, home wasn’t the house they lived in, a spark of light shone, and shrill laughter, hefty congratulations and warm hugs eased the aches in their heart.</p><p>Even if it was for a little bit.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The sun was a coward, glowing dimly when the bright snow fell. Jongin was more injured than they had thought, but with constant nursing, he glowed brighter than the snow, dressed up in a warm coat and all full of smiles. Chanyeol had been nervous at the sight of him, preparing himself for the biting words. It had been his fault after all. Sehun had made that clear. But Jongin had always been very emotional. He patted Chanyeol’s shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile and whispered a soft, “You don’t need to say anything. I was the one on fire, yet your eyes were hurt. I understand.”</p><p>That had made Chanyeol feel like he was swirling among rainbows and candies. Little doubts and worries had slipped away from his mind. All that remained was the promise he had made to Baekhyun. They were heading back to Crosswords – it was going to be a long journey, since they couldn’t risk flying upon Freisty when guards were deported at the edges.</p><p>Pocketing in the letter that Nicolas had written for them, and slinging the bags of food, clothes and necessities, he stepped out of the house with his friends, on a journey he was happy to make.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun wasn’t paying attention to the entire conversation. He understood the basic points that yes, Ivy knew his mother. His mother had requested Ivy to always watch over her. His mother had the power of light, just like him. But there was only one thing he wanted to know – where was his mother?</p><p>“Byun Na Bi. That was her name,” Ivy smiled at her ground, and Baekhyun’s heart crawled into his throat. <em>Was. </em>“And just like a beautiful butterfly – a <em>nabi – </em>she flew away.”</p><p>“What – what do you mean?” Baekhyun asked, feeling his throat close up, “She’s – where is she?”</p><p>“She’s in the skies, Baekhyun, flying.” A tear slipped down from Ivy’s eyes, “She left the world when you came. She was delicate. Physically weak. You came weeks before you had to, on a morning where everybody was busy. Your father, Elan – rushed in much later, and he saved what he could. He promised her that he’d protect you forever, a child of two inter Veyshigi-Aurorian families. He couldn’t keep you. Veyshigi children are powerful, so powerful they’ve been hunted for in Aurora. It’s all in the dark, but it’s there. There was no option. He had to send you to Earth and focus on becoming strong enough so that he could bring you into this world. And he’s made mistakes…but,” she stared down, “He kept visiting me, asking how he should make you happy. Whether it be small actions like keeping a doll on your bed or making sure that they had your favourite dishes during dinner, he’s been there.”</p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t take it anymore. He broke down into tears. His sobs were painful. This was too much, and he was weak. For once, he was glad his friends weren’t there with him. He didn’t want them to see him like this…but he needed this. So, he would allow himself to cry for the perfect family that he could have had.</p><p>The curtains were up, but the lights weren’t gone out yet. The fight had to continue, but for today, he could pretend that the pale sun had sunk under the thick clouds.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ubi concordia, ibi victoria - Where there is unity, there is victory</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Friday, 20 November (31 days left)</strong>
</p><p>When Kyungsoo’s eyes fell upon his best friend, he couldn’t hold himself back. Dashing through the overgrowth, he threw himself at the slim, young man.</p><p>“Baekhyun!” He cried, “You’re here!”</p><p>The boy’s arms wrapped around him, tightly as if Kyungsoo would turn to dust if he let go. He didn’t complain, and just wrapped him harder, until the rest of their friends came towards him, joining the mega hug. It was exhilarating – the heat of so many people who were destined to be friends forever; however long or short ‘forever’ might be.</p><p>Kyungsoo leaned back, with a huge smile on his face, that gradually died as he took in Baekhyun’s appearance. His soft cheeks were gone, sunken. There were dark circles underneath his swollen eyes – he’d been crying <em>and </em>avoiding sleep. His hair was combed, but it wasn’t as shiny as before. There were scars on his body, creeping down his shirt. His eyes had changed. Gone were the shiny, sea-green eyes that bubbled with youth. These eyes were dark, haunted.</p><p>“B-Baekhyun?” His voice cracked. He had to ask because while this man carried the face of Byun Baekhyun, it wasn’t him. His aura had shifted into something that seemed <em>ancient </em>in ways. It was the feeling of standing in front of a temple which had things written in a language you didn’t understand. Kyungsoo respected him, but he didn’t understand, “What happened?”</p><p>Baekhyun smiled, “What do you mean? I’m so happy to be able to meet you.”</p><p>The rest of their friends didn’t say a word either. All of them were busy trying to gauge what had changed. It was Jongdae who spoke first –</p><p>“You – what happened while you were away?”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “Tons of things. We were able to find the key and open the diary, from which we found out about the objects. We met a person from my past, crossed the – the mist.” The way his eyes glanced down, Kyungsoo knew it was where things had changed, “Went to Veysigz, got the objects, met Viscaris, destroyed them. Chanyeol gave into his other forms and I was killed but before sleeping, I told him the plan so here we are, now.”</p><p>Yixing took a step closer to him and put his hands on Baekhyun’s scar. The latter boy immediately winced, “What are you-?” But he didn’t pull away as Yixing let his power flow and slowly, the scars vanished, the scabs healed themselves. Baekhyun sighed as the magic thrummed into his blood. It was relieving, as if he were being charged.</p><p>When Yixing pulled back, Baekhyun appeared more refreshed, his eyes clearer, his chin raised higher. It was a little change, but Kyungsoo smiled –</p><p>“That’s better, isn’t it?”</p><p>Baekhyun smiled, “It definitely is.”</p><p>They sat around in the familiar cave and Baekhyun told them about everything in more detail, whatever he had learnt. They were enraged when they heard about the deal with Magnus, and devastated when they pictured a lonely Baekhyun crossing the Mist –</p><p>“Actually, Jongin and Sehun – Chanyeol called them, to the cottage of that man.”</p><p>Baekhyun notched an eyebrow, “Nicolas?”</p><p>“Yes, him. He came back to Aurora. He needed their help for the bird and the ‘regret.’”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, “When was this?”</p><p>“The day you…twelve days back,” Kyungsoo bit his lip.</p><p>“Have we heard from them?”</p><p>“No, that’s what’s bothering Kyungsoo,” Minseok supplied, “We haven’t heard <em>anything </em>since they went there.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyebrows scrunched together, and he sighed, “I – they should be alright. They should be…” At the grim silence, Baekhyun decided to drop the last news, “Guys, I learnt about my mother.”</p><p>That had everybody’s attention.</p><p>“Who – where is she?” Kyungsoo asked, hope glimmering in his eyes. Finally, Baekhyun could find his family, a sense of belonging and his own ‘happily ever after.’</p><p>But the dark clouds rained upon the slight hope.</p><p>“She – she’s no more, Kyungsoo.” His voice sounded strained and tired. Kyungsoo knew he must have cried a thousand times over this. “She died giving birth to me. She died on the very day I was b-born.”</p><p>It hurt to watch Baekhyun take deep breaths to calm himself and steady his aching heart –</p><p>“But…Ivy said she loved me. Her name was Byun Nabi,” Baekhyun chuckled, “It’s a beautiful name, isn’t it? She had to be a beautiful person, too. I just wish we had more time…I wanted to fly through the sky with her too.”</p><p>
  <em>I just wish we had more time.</em>
</p><p>That day, Baekhyun didn’t cry. He just didn’t laugh either.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 21 October (30 days left)</strong>
</p><p>Yixing had his backpack on. Minseok was dusting his glasses. Baekhyun felt emotional looking at them, but he firmed his heart. Some things had to be done. This was one of them.</p><p>“We’ll be safe,” Minseok gave them a reassuring smile, “We’ll keep you updated. Watch out for birds!” Watching Minseok being so strong made him feel even sadder. Kim Minseok was the eldest in their friend group, the one they could all talk to and ask for help. Just like ice, he was stern and firm. Watching him leave was like watching a rock being pulled out from under Baekhyun’s legs.</p><p>Yixing hugged all of them, “Hey, don’t you cry. We’re going to make it – all of us. After all, we have to attend Jongdae’s marriage and a baby shower.”</p><p>Baekhyun chuckled at that. This year was insane. Kim Jongdae, the same kid who had vomited out Baekhyun’s entire choco-bunnies collection in the second year after stealing all of them, was going to be a dad. He'd be a good one – that was confirmed.</p><p>Minseok and Yixing left for the Academy. They were old enough to apply for internships at the castle, and thankfully, the teachers had accepted both. While they were, they were going to study – but that’s not the only thing they would do. They would spy on the army, find out the updates about the war and share them with Baekhyun.</p><p>Meanwhile, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Jongdae, otherwise nicknamed the shortest people aside from Minseok, were determined to get Viscaris’ locket and Elijah’s sword. There was still no word from Chanyeol’s side, so the best they could do was to get on with the plan and hope for the best.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> “I’m sorry, but <em>what</em>?”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, sliding his pen towards the centre of the sheet, “I’m sure of it, Jongdae. I don’t know why we haven’t ever noticed it.”</p><p>Junmyeon shuffled his hands, “But surely, if Viscaris’ locket was in the temple, they would’ve sensed it or done something. Aurora’s all peace-peace, Baekhyun. I don’t think they’d have something that contains Viscaris’ spirit <em>in </em>the temple.”</p><p>“It’s not <em>in </em>the temple, Junmyeon. But it is one of the oldest things there. That statue had always irked me the wrong way. There’s no way I’m wrong about this,” Baekhyun argued, “We have to think simple, from the point of view of a very twisted person. She regretted it, so she put it in her temple as a constant reminder. It <em>is </em>there.”</p><p>Kyungsoo sighed, “Well, we have no other choice to go and check, then.”</p><p>Jongdae tapped the floor, deep in thought, “That’s not even the problem, Kyungsoo. If it’s there or not, that’s a second issue. How the fuck are we going to get Baekhyun into the temple? And wait, scratch that, how are we going to steal something heavily precious from the temple without having our heads hung from the council’s terrace.”</p><p>Baekhyun clicked his tongue, “Obviously, the great method of distraction.”</p><p>“Which kind of distraction?”</p><p>“I didn’t think that far ahead, yet.”</p><p>The others sighed, retreating into their thoughts. Jongdae kept mumbling, “A huge distraction. Stealing from the temple. Getting Baekhyun in and out without much hassle. Even if we use our magic, they’d trace us.”</p><p>That was the hardest thing. It was all because of Baekhyun’s wand traces that he’d been caught, and he had performed magic in places off territory. The temple ought to have more wand detectors.</p><p>“So, we can’t use magic,” Kyungsoo dead-panned, “Great, what else do we have?”</p><p>They didn’t answer, until Jongdae leapt up, “Fuck, I’m an idiot!”</p><p>They shared confused glances, waiting for the Historia boy to speak.</p><p>Jongdae grinned at them, “Are we forgetting the fact that we’re all elementals?”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 21 November (30 days left)</strong>
</p><p>The plan was immaculate. With Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Jongdae having disastrous powers such as the earth, water and lightning and Baekhyun having the power of light – with which he could <em>easily </em>keep people in darkness – they were the best possible match for the mission. As the clock struck midnight, they sneaked out. A dark veil was drawn over Baekhyun’s face.</p><p>As they walked the empty alleyways, Baekhyun kept an eye upon the houses, their balconies, and their gardens. Little orbs of light from the streetlights, house lights flew into his hands as they moved, and when they had crossed the area, the lights went back to their places. In this way, they remained unseen. Once they reached the temple, they nodded at each other and started acting out the plan.</p><p>There were twelve saints always sitting around the temple – at any given time; and that day, just like any other day, they sat against the pillars, sitting in concentration. Baekhyun sucked the lights away, dropping them to his friends so that they had a dim but steady personal light. The saints looked around in confusion – Baekhyun could see it all. He had always had a better vision.</p><p>The first saint voiced out, “Where did the lights go?”</p><p>Before he could get an answer, Baekhyun snuck his arm towards Kyungsoo. Weak trembles travelled down to the earth’s core, and the pillars shook lightly, but it was enough to scare them.</p><p>“What – what is happening? We don’t have earthquakes here!”</p><p>The trembles became stronger, and Junmyeon raised his hands. The sea was just a bit away from the temple, and all of them could hear the strong waves lapping at the shore. The water swirled, the wind raged. For extra effect, Baekhyun shot some dark lights there, as Jongdae summoned lightning and thunder. Baekhyun raised his hands once again, pointing towards the sky. The stars hid themselves, the sky darkened – of course, a person standing a few blocks away wouldn’t see a dark sky, but they did. Illusion. He made the moon light up in haunted shades of red, and the saints scurried about, pointing their staffs to each other.</p><p>“Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun whispered.</p><p>With a quick motion of his hands, the soil surrounding the temple lifted, moving towards the temple. Rocks rained down. Thunder and lightning boomed in the background, while the tornado came to land. It was enough for the saints to drop their staffs and run away, shouting for their lives.</p><p>They had probably ten minutes before they brought more people – or less. Baekhyun grabbed Kyungsoo’s arms and headed to the statue. Now, he saw it in a different light. He knew who these characters were. Aurora’s body was obsidian, showing her true, tainted self, while her clothes were white, showing what she was <em>supposed </em>to represent – evil by choice in the clothes of a preacher. On her foot was Elijah, made of marble – he had remained true to his purpose, yet, his own sword ripped him in half. Viscaris sat behind her, watching her turn into a monster. He probably felt the world close around him.</p><p>But today, the statue didn’t hold as much importance as the <em>sword </em>did. It was a clever place to hide it. But Byun Baekhyun had looked at the marble sword, tinged with obsidian way too many times with a curious glint to not join the dots. On the hilt of the sword, a black gem was inserted.</p><p>“Kyungsoo, take it out for me.” He pointed at the gem. Kyungsoo snuck his arm into the sword. He let out a groan, as his power rushed into his hands, before pulling the gem out. A glimmering, shiny silver chain came out with it.</p><p>“See,” Baekhyun smiled, holding it close, “This <em>is </em>the necklace.”</p><p>But they’d have that talk later. Kyungsoo took out the fake stone that they had polished, so it looked like the one in the statue, and pushed in it. It wasn’t the right size, but with Kyungsoo’s force, it fit well. As footsteps approached the temple, their squad ducked back and ran away; safe.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“That was so fun!” Jongdae grinned at him, “I felt like…I don’t know, a member of the alliance.”</p><p>“Which one?” Junmyeon frowned.</p><p>Jongdae gave him a look of pity, “Forget it, you won’t understand.”</p><p>Honestly, neither did Baekhyun but he didn’t mention that. Instead, he raised the gem high, letting it catch the moonlight. They were near the seashore, hidden under a tall cliff. The Temple was far behind, but as they’d left, they’d heard the baffled voices of the saints. He hoped they wouldn't find that the gem was fake…at least for a couple of days. He didn’t want any suspicion laid on his friends.</p><p>“So, what do we do with it?” Junmyeon asked, changing the topic.</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, putting it down on the ground, “We destroy it.”</p><p>“Just like that?” Jongdae frowned.</p><p>The bringer of light summoned his wand, pointing its edge at the rock, licking his lip, “Just like that.” He asked them to move back, “But, first, there are tons of chants to cast.” They watched him as if they were his apprentices, and truthfully, he <em>basked </em>in the attention.</p><p><em>“Naksha bahira!” </em>White and pink sparkles swirled around them, “This was for the wards. Next, silencing charms. <em>Pin drop silence!” </em>The air popped as they were locked into a bubble.</p><p>He breathed out, “Now…just like that.”</p><p>They stepped further back.</p><p><em>“Sticks and stones may break your bones!” </em>Kyungsoo and Jongdae gasped at the heavy expulsion of pure, <em>black </em>light from the tip of Luna, while Junmyeon pressed himself against the cliff. The beam hit the locket with utmost strength. The locket broke into two, and dark energy swirled around them. Shrill, painful, miserable screams filled the air as more of Viscaris <em>died. </em>Memories swirled in Baekhyun’s mind – memories that weren’t his. A meadow, a huge, gleaming castle, ivory hanging from the walls, a bed splayed upon by roses. They raced faster than he could count. The rocks shattered. The waves became so high Junmyeon had to use his power to protect them.</p><p>Then, it all stopped. Baekhyun was on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He turned around and flashed them an assuring smile, “It’s done.” He whispered, before his body collapsed into the ground and the sky darkened.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Sunday, 22 November (29 days left) </strong>
</p><p>He came to a cold sensation on his head. He recognized it as a wet cloth. Sitting up, he looked around. He was in a house he remembered very well – Sehun’s. Suddenly, Junmyeon stepped into his vision –</p><p>“Because his family is never here, and it was near to the place you collapsed in.” Baekhyun nodded groggily, stretching his arms –</p><p>“Honestly, I don’t why I collapsed. The things I saw weren’t even Elijah’s – oh.”</p><p>Junmyeon frowned at him, “What?”</p><p>“Did you see those pictures? The castle? The bed?”</p><p>“Yeah.” He gazed down, “I didn’t like them.”</p><p>“Well, Elijah <em>hated </em>them. Because it was basically the place his ‘lover’ and her preferred one had sex,” Baekhyun shivered, “Didn’t think I’d ever be so invested in a love triangle.”</p><p>Junmyeon chuckled at that. They talked for a bit, when Junmyeon explained –</p><p>“Kyungsoo and Jongdae went back home. They’d come tomorrow morning. We decided we’d find the sword at dusk. There might be visitors in the evenings.”</p><p>Baekhyun bit his lip and nodded, “It’s <em>one </em>thing I’m afraid of finding. Since I’ve dreamt about drowning so much, you know?”</p><p>“Don’t worry,” Junmyeon assured, “You just have to tell us where it is; we’d do the rest.”</p><p>Baekhyun felt relieved, but he scratched his ear, “I don’t…really know where it is. Since I’m already drowning in my dream. I just know, it’s in the black sea – that’s what Chanyeol told me, and I don’t know where that <em>exactly </em>is.”</p><p>Junmyeon blinked, “Oh, I do. Most people know.”</p><p>Baekhyun tilted his head, listening intently to Junmyeon as he spoke –</p><p>“We had children rhymes of the ‘Black Sea.’ It went like – ‘The sea, the black, dark sea, where no fish are seen. Fishers fished there back when grandpa’s grandpa’-”</p><p>Baekhyun raised his hand, “Okay, how about you just tell me where it is, instead of the poem?” A 19-years old boy jamming to a nursery poem about fishing made him cringe horribly, even more so because that nineteen years old was no other than Kim Junmyeon.</p><p>Junmyeon clicked his tongue, “You have no taste at all. It’s a fun rhyme. Anyway, there’s this huge cliff in the middle of the sea in the East, behind the mountains. Just behind that, is the black sea. It was a spot where great fish, jewels and manganese was found. But now, there’s nothing. The patch of sea has turned a dark colour there.”</p><p>Baekhyun shivered suddenly, “J-Junmyeon.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“You think it might be because Elijah drowned there. He – he was bleeding.”</p><p>Junmyeon frowned, “I don’t think that’s scientifically possible, but magically…maybe?”</p><p>But that wasn’t the thought haunting Baekhyun, “What if – what if you see his corpse when you go under? Oh god. Oh my god. No, you can’t do that.”</p><p>“Baekhyun,” Junmyeon put his hands onto his shoulder, “I hope you know that the human body rots.”</p><p>“But – the blood – the dark patch-”</p><p>“Hush, it’s going to be okay,” Junmyeon assured him, “Don’t worry. I can breathe underwater, you know that right? So even if I see something scary, I won’t lose my breath.”</p><p>Baekhyun wasn’t convinced but he nodded, “O-Okay.”</p><p>“Good boy.”</p><p>“Now tell me. Is there something going on between you and Sehun? How the fuck do you have his bedroom keys?”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 23 November (28 days left)</strong>
</p><p>When Sehun locked the door of his house from the inside, he felt something was different. When he locked the door of his room, letting in his tired, battered and weary friends, he was certain that something was different.</p><p>“Someone was here,” Sehun narrowed his eyes, glaring at the unmade bed, “My parents <em>never </em>enter my room, and nobody would lie down on my bed.”</p><p>Chanyeol and Jongin were too tired to notice. They splayed himself on the unmade bed as if they were useless, giant starfish.</p><p>“Hey!” Sehun protested, “I think there might have been a break-in into my house. Why aren’t you guys paying attention?”</p><p>Chanyeol ignored him, burying his face into the pillow while Jongin hummed, “Break-in, right. Cool. You have way too much money.”</p><p>“I – dude, are you even my friend?”</p><p>Before Jongin could reply, Chanyeol let out a sigh, “This pillow smells like Baekhyun.”</p><p>Sehun wanted to vomit. He moved forward, grabbing one edge of the pillow, “Stop corrupting my pillow.” Chanyeol didn’t let go until he pulled it with utmost strength. The heir sat on the bed, pouting like a fucking ugly puppy that Sehun wanted to kick.</p><p>“But it really smells like Baekhyun,” Chanyeol insisted.</p><p>Jongin, half-dreaming, half-conscious, yawned, “Maybe, he broke into your house.”</p><p>“He <em>does </em>have the skills for it,” Chanyeol joked, before he suddenly straightened up, “Wait. Maybe, he <em>did </em>break into your house.”</p><p>“Huh?” Jongin looked up lazily, “I was right? Great, I knew I was a genius.”</p><p>Sehun glared at him, “This is not funny-” but his words came to a stop when he saw the book kept on his desk. He strode towards it and picked it up, “Why is there a copy of ‘The Black Sea and Other Nursery Rhymes’ on my desk.”</p><p>Chanyeol stood up, walking towards him, “The Black Sea…that’s the place where Elijah’s sword is. Do you think…” He trailed off as sounds of knocking came from his window.</p><p>Sehun cursed under his breath before moving towards the window.</p><p>“There’s a…bird – oh, it’s a letter!” His friends closed in as Sehun pulled the window-shades up, and let the bird in. The pigeon dropped the letter before flying out immediately – no response was expected. Sehun handed the letter to Chanyeol, simply because he was the oldest. The boy opened the envelope, and took the letter out, smoothening its edges against the wooden desk, before reading it:</p><p>Dear Baekhyun,</p><p>We’re stationed properly, keeping our eyes on the army. Till now, they haven’t made any movement, but they patrol every day. Compared to the patrol patterns Chanyeol and you had noted down, things have changed. The security is stronger, but static at the same time. Teachers are nervous and they aren’t acting like themselves. We’ll try to talk more to them. Thankfully, we can go to the Eastern towers to get a direct look. From the next letter, I’d call you ‘Valia,’ because they’re going to start scanning letters. They probably won’t scan what they think are love letters.</p><p>Anyway, there’s not much we could update you on since it’s been a few days only. I hope you guys succeeded in destroying the locket and are moving onto the sword. I wish that by now, you’ve got a response from Chanyeol’s side. Even if you haven’t, remember you were the one that said we should hope for the best – so don’t lose that hope. Trust them. I know it’s hard for you after learning about your mother, but you’re strong, Hyunnie. Minseok would send a letter three days from now, so you’ll get two letters in a week. All the best.</p><p>Yixing.</p><p>Sehun observed Chanyeol, who couldn’t move.</p><p>Jongin broke the silence, “So, they’ve gone to the dark sea to get the sword, which means they must have destroyed the locket.”</p><p>Sehun nodded, before patting Chanyeol’s shoulder, “Hey, don’t be sad. Look, Baekhyun is waiting for you-”</p><p>“His mother,” Chanyeol’s voice sounded defeated, “Something with – his mother.”</p><p>Sehun pursed his lips, “We’ll find out when they return, but until then…don’t you think we should destroy the mirror?”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“I look ridiculous,” Chanyeol stated.</p><p>“Well, yeah you do,” Jongin, who had just dressed up in Sehun’s ultra-expensive clothes, and worn a mask, shrugged, “But at least, you don’t look like Park Chanyeol, which was our main objective.”</p><p>“Still, you could’ve made me someone hotter…”</p><p>Coated with magic, Chanyeol was a different person. Sehun knew magic tricks that Chanyeol did not – such as changing his appearance into that of a five foot three, old man with a clown wig.  </p><p>“Don’t complain, grandpa clown.” Sehun said, “Move your old ass up.”</p><p>Jongin snickered, “Damn, he’s shorter than Kyungsoo.”</p><p>“Shorter than Zene and Leah.”</p><p>“Shorter than the owner of The Maple Leaf.”</p><p>“Just as short as his di-”</p><p>“Diaper straps!” Jongin interrupted with a big smile on his face.</p><p>Sehun scoffed, “What the fuck is a diaper strap?”</p><p>“Something you need, since you’re a <em>baby,</em>” Chanyeol retorted.</p><p>“Says, you a five-three man.”</p><p>“Hey, I’m as old as your grandpa. Show some respect.”</p><p>“<em>Alright,” </em>Jongin clapped his hands, effectively shutting off their arguments, “Time to move, darlings.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p> “I don’t even think they’re going to allow me. I look like a psychopath or some – oh, hi! Yes, I’d have a choco-” Sehun kicked his shin, muttering ‘old man, act like an old man’, “I mean, green tea. That would be nice.”</p><p>The waiter looked visibly confused and Chanyeol pitied him, but he just showed his shiny, old, crooked teeth. Then, he just politely bowed and went away.</p><p>“So, what’s the plan?” Jongin asked, “We’re here. How are we getting a thing from behind the map?”</p><p>“Chanyeol will sneakily drop a <em>little </em>bit of fire on the table nearby. I would use a <em>little </em>bit of wind to spread it. You will teleport to the centre and turn on the fire alarm – yes, Jongin, they have one. Everybody will move out. I’ll use the winds to make the painting fall, and we’ll take the mirror, run and hope that somebody here knows how to shut a fire.”</p><p>“Or I could show that grandpas are cool and douse the fire,” Chanyeol suggested, “Never mind, they’ll trace my wand…no wait, I’ll use light magic, so they won’t.”</p><p>“Whatever. We need to get out alive. That’s what matters to me.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The plan succeeded. After a <em>tiny </em>bit of drama, tons of swearing, heaps of jumping around and trampling, they exited the shop with the mirror tucked safely into their bag. The sun had set, since it was important to find a time at which minimum people would be there, and they had huge smiles on their faces. That had been kind of fun.</p><p>“I mean,” Sehun said, “Isn’t burning a shop on all of our ‘things to achieve in life’ at least at one point?”</p><p>“That list is called a bucket list, Sehun. And no, that wasn’t the case with me,” Chanyeol said, dampening the mood, before he cracked a grandpa smile, “But honestly, if we survive this thing, it’s going to make it in every year.”</p><p>That brightened their hearts so much that the sun sank in shame.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m scared as fuck,” Baekhyun muttered for only the hundredth time that morning. His hands shook, and he wished they were on the ground so he could walk and roam, but here, he could only sit still. It’s been quite some time since Junmyeon went underwater, “It’s all my fault.”</p><p>Jongdae and Kyungsoo shared a look before the former said, “It’s not.”</p><p>“It is”</p><p>“Is not.”</p><p>“Is <em>is.</em>” Baekhyun wailed, burying his face into his hands, “I don’t even know what I’m saying.”</p><p>“Then stop saying things and wait patiently,” Kyungsoo scolded him. The winds were fresh here, salty but calming. But the sight of the dark patch of the sea sent his mind into a frenzy. Minutes ticked by, and even Kyungsoo and Jongdae were getting worried. An hour had crossed when Baekhyun stood up –</p><p>“I’m going in.”</p><p>But before he could jump in, the water parted and Junmyeon came up, holding his nightmare into his hands. He gasped, “Sorry, I took so long.” He didn’t explain why, just climbed up with their help, handed the sword to Baekhyun and sat upon the cliff. There was a dark look in his eyes.</p><p>“J-Junmyeon,” Baekhyun was scared to ask, “What – what happened down there?”</p><p>He looked at the boy, and all Baekhyun could do was gasp. He felt like crying –</p><p>“Let’s just say some things are never meant to be spoken about.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>By dusk, they had destroyed the sword. Kyungsoo had cast the chant, because Baekhyun wasn’t in a mental place to do that. The memories hurt him more than anything else, the screams, the wails – this time they were Elijah’s. He didn’t pass out, but he heaved at the edge of the sea, and sobbed his heart out. After more hours of just walking around a city – a dangerous bet – and Kyungsoo buying him his favourite food, he was alright, happy that they had succeeded. Junmyeon was also in a brighter mood, and whatever happened back at the Dark Sea was buried into the Dark Sea. </p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun stomped through the snow, grinning at the sky, like a little child who had just seen the first snowfall of his life. Kyungsoo shook his head at him, but his amused smile gave his true emotions away. Junmyeon and Jongdae talked about something, bringing up the rear. Baekhyun was lightheaded. His heart wasn’t heavy anymore, even though there was no Chanyeol to carry it.</p><p>The soft snow seemed to soften his hard lines and fill the cracks in his hurt armour. The city lights cast their golden glow upon the snow, lighting it up in beautiful shades. The brightest stars shone in the darkest nights. Baekhyun wasn’t the brightest star out there, but he was shining too.</p><p>“Here we are,” Junmyeon smiled, as Sehun’s villa came into view, “Get in, children.”</p><p>Baekhyun rolled his eyes at his antics but tagged behind him. Junmyeon stuck the key in, turning it around easily. They entered the room and immediately, Jongdae chirped –</p><p>“We – we switched the lights off, right?”</p><p>Junmyeon shrugged, “I don’t remember. Probably not since it’s on.”</p><p>Baekhyun and Kyungsoo shared a look, shrugged, and let it go. The former wiped his feet on the carpet and shut the door behind him. The warm house made him realize just how cold his cheeks were. Stepping in, he gravitated towards the bedrooms, a floor above.</p><p>But a noise made him freeze in his steps.</p><p>He brandished his wand, and pressed himself up against the wall, mouthing wildly to the others standing below – <em>someone is here. </em>They took positions, moving up, when there was a sound from the kitchen. Kyungsoo rushed in that direction, his wand out. There was another sound from Sehun’s bedroom – a deep rumbling, as if someone were sobbing. With wide eyes, and quick heartbeats, he moved towards the bedroom, kicking the door open.</p><p>It took him some time to digest the scene.</p><p>“S-Sehun?”</p><p>Oh Sehun was on the floor, laughing – that sounded like ugly wailing – and beating the ground, “Holy Elan, Baekhyun. How’d you make it alive so far when you’re all so dumb?”</p><p>Baekhyun’s face flushed, “In my defence, I’ve died two times.”</p><p>“Still.”</p><p>Before he could reply, there was a loud squeal of ‘Kyungsoo!’ and ‘Jongin!’ It brought a smile on Baekhyun’s face. Jongin was in the kitchen. He moved forwards and encompassed Sehun in a tight hug, flicking his forehead –</p><p>“Somehow, you’ve grown more annoying.”</p><p>Sehun just laughed but didn’t dare let go of him. Behind them, there was the call of a soft voice –</p><p>“Sehun? You’re back?” <em>Kim Junmyeon. </em>Baekhyun saw the look they shared, so he retreated out of the room, patting Junmyeon’s shoulder, and whispering a ‘make it official,’ to which his friend nodded. Baekhyun shut the door on his way out. In the living room, Kyungsoo, Jongin and Jongdae were talking excitedly. After all, there was a lot to talk about, and Baekhyun wanted to join them, but there was one person that was missing –</p><p>
  <em>Park Chanyeol.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun already knew where he must be. He walked to the staircase, dashing up to the attic. He took the wooden-furnished door and pushed it open. There, he was. Surrounded by tall bookshelves, antiques, basking in the moonlight that came in through the huge window, Park Chanyeol was leaning out, letting the snow fall softly on his hair.</p><p>Baekhyun’s chest tightened, and his eyes welled up at the sight of him. Chanyeol was smiling. He was happy. More than anything, he was <em>Chanyeol, </em>just regular, old Chanyeol – the man who never failed to make his heartbeat quicken, and throw him into the void of desire, longing and love. It was a void he never wanted to leave.</p><p>He stepped into the room, “Nerd.” His voice didn’t sound like he wanted it to, but Chanyeol turned around, his big eyes lit up as he took in Baekhyun’s sight.</p><p>“Baek.”</p><p>They stared at each other, noting that <em>yes, they were alive. This was real, not another dream. </em>If Baekhyun could meet Chanyeol only in his nightmares, then he’d live through them happily. The taller boy broke into a run, and Baekhyun’s feet moved on their own. They met in the middle, like the climax of a sucky, cliché romance movie.</p><p>Baekhyun didn’t say a word as Chanyeol’s lemony smell wrapped around him. His soft hair smelt like pines and fresh wind that breezed through the forests. Pressed close to him, he could feel his pulse. Chanyeol was actually there.</p><p>“You’re going to crush me,” Baekhyun spoke through some difficulty. Chanyeol’s hands loosened around him, but they didn’t let go.</p><p>“Won’t be the first time,” Chanyeol muttered, and Baekhyun’s heart dipped. He had forgotten how <em>husky </em>Chanyeol’s voice was, how deep and warm it was; just how much he liked it, and how much he <em>missed </em>it.</p><p>“Not funny,” Baekhyun sniffled, pressing his face into Chanyeol’s chest, “Ugh, why do I always start crying? I wasn’t even a cry-baby.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, patting his hair, “I was. Always. But right now…I’m so overwhelmed, I can’t even cry.” So, he laughed instead, “Fuck, I missed you.”</p><p>“You aren’t the only one, nerd.”</p><p>“I missed you calling me a nerd.”</p><p>“That’s because you’re one,” Baekhyun retorted, trying hard not to cry. This wasn’t the time to cry.</p><p>“I missed you speaking to me, only me.”</p><p>“Shut it, dumbass.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s heart clenched at his chest, “Damn Baek, I never thought the word ‘dumbass’ would make me so emotional. I swear, your voice is magic.”</p><p>Baekhyun laughed, looking at Chanyeol, who had this gleam in his eyes. Chanyeol stared at him as if he were the one who’d hung the moon, as if he was the most important thing in the whole universe. Baekhyun recognized that look; he knew it was the look in his eyes when he stared at Chanyeol.</p><p>“I…I don’t want you to leave me again,” Baekhyun held Chanyeol’s chin, staring into those eyes, chasing hazel flecks, “And I don’t want to leave you. Ever.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s lips quivered, and his breathing fastened. Baekhyun held onto his wrist, running circles in his palm when Chanyeol dropped his forehead onto his. Chanyeol’s soft breaths warmed his cold face, his thick, long fingers brought blood to his cheeks, as they travelled across his nose, stopping at his lips.</p><p>“May I kiss you?” Chanyeol asked, panting lightly. It was tiring to be so damn emotional all the time.</p><p>Baekhyun gulped, before nodding feverishly, “Please do.”</p><p>In a blink of an eye, Chanyeol’s warm, rough lips were on his. Baekhyun licked them, trying to moisturize them. He frowned –</p><p>“Why do you taste like bitter coffee?”</p><p>Chanyeol snorted, “That’s a long story, involving arson and theft. Now, come here.”</p><p>They sat on the ground, chasing each other’s faces like ugly, starved dogs. Even though Baekhyun found it distasteful, he’d never want to stop kissing Chanyeol. It had been so long. Chanyeol darted his deft tongue into Baekhyun’s mouth, mapping his teeth, and flicking across his tongue. He parted a little just to say –</p><p>“And you taste like extra-sweet chocolates.”</p><p>Baekhyun grinned, “We balance each other out.”</p><p>They went back to kissing – two dumb idiots, trying to move their tongue expertly. Even though they didn’t do the <em>best </em>job, it was perfect.</p><p> </p><p>They stopped only when half an hour later, Sehun opened the door –</p><p>“Hey, Chanyeol. Come down, man. We’re having dinner – <em>wait,</em>” Baekhyun pushed Chanyeol away, eyes not leaving the floor because Sehun looked at them as if they had grown two heads, “<em>Don’t have sex in my father’s library, dumbfucks!”</em></p><p>“Hush!” Baekhyun tried to quieten him down, but it was of no use because Sehun kept shouting about the utter betrayal, and the rest of their friends were now giving Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who sat there with red lips, nervous eyes, and messed up clothes, <em>that </em>look.</p><p>“We were just kissing!” Chanyeol protested, but Baekhyun held him back –</p><p>“That would make it worse, nerd. Believe me.”</p><p>But the harm was already done when Kyungsoo said, “Here, Jongdae is going to be a father and these two are still <em>just kissing.</em>”</p><p>Chanyeol’s jaw dropped and he screamed shrilly, “Jongdae is going to be a<em> what?”</em></p><p>Junmyeon shrugged, “If you had stopped making out and bothered to come down, you’d know.”</p><p>“Hey! I’m meeting him after a long time.”</p><p>“Well, Sehun didn’t exactly stay here with me-”</p><p>“You guys aren’t even officially dating!”</p><p>Sehun coughed. Baekhyun watched Junmyeon give him a reassuring smile, before the rich boy held Junmyeon’s hand, “Actually, in the past one hour, there have been some developments in the status of our relationship.”</p><p>Junmyeon wrinkled his nose at Sehun, and tugged his hand out of his hold, “We’re officially dating, guys.”</p><p>
  <em>Cue chaos. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Si vis amare, ama - If you wish to be loved, love</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Dinner was loud. They cracked jokes that Baekhyun didn’t remember, spoke about a million things, hugged, watched movies, and cried tons. For a moment, they could just pretend they were normal friends having fun. Lying on each other’s shoulders, giggling so much, words became incoherent.</p><p>As the night deepened, they returned to the rooms. One advantage of being Oh Sehun was that his house had many rooms, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun could take one all to themselves. They entered into it, giggling and laughing. They weren’t even drunk, but they could have been. Chanyeol collapsed on the bed, pulling Baekhyun above him.</p><p>“May I kiss -?”</p><p>Baekhyun pecked his lips, laughing at his red face, “Just do it, dumbass.”</p><p>Chanyeol grinned, before turning them around, licking his nose as Baekhyun laughed heartily. Happiness was a constant stream, flowing through every single cell of his, and Chanyeol was the source.</p><p>“I don’t know if you’re aware,” Baekhyun whispered when they were tired, and just lying against each other, “But I’m kinda in love with you.”</p><p>Chanyeol gasped, putting his heart onto his chest, “Oh my! What a scandalous thing to say.” Baekhyun giggled more, kissing him deeply –</p><p>“The only scandalous thing here is that you haven’t said it back,” Baekhyun feigned a sigh, “It’s been more than a fortnight since I left. Who knows what could have changed?”</p><p>Chanyeol just smiled at him, leaning in to drop a kiss at his temple, “Alright, drama queen. Hear carefully.”</p><p>Baekhyun urged him on.</p><p>“I…”</p><p>“You?”</p><p>“Hate you.”</p><p>Baekhyun punched him as Chanyeol roared in ugly laughter.</p><p>“You sound like a freaking whale!” Baekhyun complained.</p><p>“You love this whale,” Chanyeol said, from the floor – since he’d fallen on it during his extreme laughing session – and no, Baekhyun <em>hadn’t </em>pushed him down.</p><p>“But the whale doesn’t love me back.”</p><p>“He doesn’t need to, because a man called Park Chanyeol is already in love with you.”</p><p>Like the proper epitome of a thirteen-year-old crushing on a pretty boy, Baekhyun smiled at him, “That’s nice of him.”</p><p>Chanyeol raised himself on his elbows, notching an eyebrow, “But it’s not nice of you to kick me down.”</p><p>Baekhyun just gave him a small smile, curling into himself in the bed.</p><p>“No, Baek, really,” Chanyeol said and Baekhyun could <em>hear </em>the pout in his voice, “Look, I’m scratched here. I was already injured…”</p><p>Baekhyun tried to ignore him, but he knew he stood no chance. He turned around, “Ah, you’re a big baby.”</p><p>“Yes, I am.” Chanyeol said defiantly, pouting at him – just <em>what – </em>“So, baby me. Don’t push me down the bed.”</p><p>Baekhyun swung his legs across the bed and leaned down to help Chanyeol up, but the taller boy was faster. He grabbed Baekhyun’s wrist and pulled him down, so that Baekhyun landed into his lap with an <em>oomph. </em>Baekhyun punched his shoulders –</p><p>“Now, you’re the mean one.”</p><p>Chanyeol just smiled cutely at him.</p><p>“I think the forest air changed you,” Baekhyun sighed, but didn’t protest as Chanyeol buried his face into Baekhyun’s shoulder, turning his face and planting a quick kiss on his cheeks.</p><p>“Your <em>absence </em>changed me.”</p><p>“Well, you were responsible for that.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes and letting his face fall into the soft mess, “I’m sorry. I’m being mean. It was the deities’ fault.”</p><p>“I know.” His voice was cold and clipped.</p><p>Baekhyun pulled back to stare at Chanyeol, but that wasn’t possible since Chanyeol didn’t move his face away from his shoulder, “Chanyeollie, are you mad at me?”</p><p>Chanyeol immediately pulled back, staring at him with huge eyes, <em>“Chanyeollie?”</em></p><p>Baekhyun looked around nervously, “Uh…yeah?”</p><p>“Baekhyunnie…you’re being so cringey, right now.”</p><p>That was all it took for Baekhyun’s ‘oh, is Chanyeol okay, comfortable, nice and warm?’ expression to fall away. He stood up, and kicked Chanyeol –</p><p>“Nerd,” he said, before falling onto his bed, and closing his eyes. He felt Chanyeol chuckle before he climbed up, wrapped his arms around Baekhyun and inserted his leg between Baekhyun’s slim thighs. He dropped a final kiss onto Baekhyun’s temple, that, despite everything, made him smile, and of course, the nerd saw that.</p><p>Baekhyun could <em>hear </em>the smile on his face as he said, “Goodnight, Baekhyunnie.”</p><p>That night, Baekhyun went to sleep feeling full, satisfied, and happy. </p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Tuesday, 24 November (27 days left)</strong>
</p><p>Baekhyun tapped his hands against the table, unable to hide his smile as Chanyeol bumped his taller legs against his, hidden from everybody’s sight, “I can’t believe we’ve come so far.”</p><p>Kyungsoo smiled, “We’re done with seven objects, just three more and this cycle will be finished.” The heart-lipped boy was right. Once Viscaris was out of the loop, Baekhyun’s Elijah would disappear – at least he hoped that would happen.</p><p>“The three things left are the hardest, though,” Jongdae commented off-handedly, putting the rim of his coffee cup to his lips, smelling it and letting it go, “This is <em>bad.</em>”</p><p>“Sehun made it,” Baekhyun shrugged, “And you’re right. I have no idea how we progress from here.”</p><p>Chanyeol hummed, “There’s the Fortress of Sins, in the Mist.”</p><p>“How do you guys get there?” Jongdae raised an eyebrow.</p><p>Baekhyun reeled back into his memory, “Uh…there was something about having a destination, rather than a direction.”</p><p>Jongdae gave them an unimpressed look. Baekhyun rolled his eyes, before launching into an explanation –</p><p>“When Chanyeol and I entered the Mist for the first time, we had a direction – North. We didn’t really know where we were going. We just kept walking North, endlessly. Unlike us, Elijah had a destination – Aurora. He kept wandering around like a mad man until he found the Fortress of Sins.”</p><p>Kyungsoo frowned, “Are you implying that you would have to go back to the fields?”</p><p>“I – maybe.” Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, who nodded, “Since that’s where the Mist is, anyway.”</p><p>“But we just came back!” Jongin protested.</p><p>“Well,” Baekhyun started, licking his lips, “Now, you’re strong enough to teleport us, so we’d reach there faster.”</p><p>Jongin thought about it, “I still need some rest.”</p><p>“So do these two,” Kyungsoo interrupted, glaring at them, “Didn’t you see the Mist played with your mind and did crazy shit?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Baekhyun clicked his tongue, smiling sheepishly, “There’s no way we’ll be completely sane when we reach there, right Chanyeol?”</p><p>The boy was just sitting there, chin resting on his arms, as he drew lazy circles on the table. Baekhyun frowned, “Chanyeol?” There was no response, until Baekhyun tapped his head, and Chanyeol jerked, staring at him –</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“We were talking about the Mist.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Baekhyun checked Chanyeol’s temperature, “What is it? You seem kind of out of it.”</p><p>Chanyeol opened his mouth to protest that he was okay, but all eyes were on him. There was no way he could fool everybody, so he just sighed, “I’m one of the objects. I know we have some…unspoken law that we don’t speak about that, but – but the Viscaris inside me has to die so that the cycle would truly end. And I just don’t know…”</p><p>Baekhyun sighed, “I don’t think the answer is killing you.”</p><p>“Of course you won’t think that. You’re my boyfriend.”</p><p>If this were any normal conversation, Baekhyun would’ve been a blushing mess, but this wasn’t. He shook his head, “Yeol, think about it. I’ve tried to kill you. It hadn’t worked.”</p><p>“But that’s you…maybe if somebody else-”</p><p>Sehun shook his head, “Mainly, it’s you who are caught up in the Aurorian Myth. The story is between the three deities. If anybody else kills you, Park Chanyeol would just die. 21<sup>st</sup> December would come, the end of the world would commence and Baekhyun would go mad.”</p><p>“That…wasn’t very nice,” Baekhyun said.</p><p>Sehun glared at him, “How should I phrase it then?”</p><p>Baekhyun pouted, “Meanie.”</p><p>Before they could argue further, Jongdae stepped in, “Look, Chanyeol. Baekhyun’s right. The answer isn’t Baekhyun killing you. We’ve still got the Fortress to go. Maybe, there would be some hints there.”</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t look too convinced, but there was no other argument he could think of, so he shrugged, “Possibly.”</p><p>Kyungsoo smiled reassuringly at him, before speaking out, “Anyway, the thing is, these two have to travel to the field after a few days-”</p><p>“After Chanyeol’s birthday!” Baekhyun cheered, “Let’s all rest up, celebrate it nicely and then, we get back to the mission.”</p><p>Chanyeol muttered underneath his breath.</p><p>Baekhyun frowned at him, “What was that?”</p><p>“I said – first they celebrate my birthday, then they send me on a death-trip.” The boy buried his face into his hands, “The Mist is so frustrating. I really don’t want to do it…”</p><p>“I know,” Baekhyun sighed, “I’d be scared if you were enthusiastic about it.”</p><p>Chanyeol grunted, but he didn’t say anything. Their friends looked at them worriedly, but there was nothing they could do.</p><p>Jongdae stood up, “Well…I’d be heading home. My girlfriend was waiting for me, too.” All of them smiled at that.</p><p>Sehun whispered to Junmyeon, “I’m sure it’s a girl.”</p><p>“No, it’s going to be a boy.”</p><p>“Twins, maybe?”</p><p>“I said a boy, idiot.”</p><p>“It’s a girl.”</p><p>“Bet?”</p><p>“Definitely.”</p><p>Jongdae cleared his throat, glaring at them, “Moving on, Chanyeol and Jongin can’t go home, because they’d have too much explaining to do. Baekhyun will stay here. Kyungsoo and Junmyeon <em>may </em>go home, and if you were asked, just say you were at my girlfriend’s house.”</p><p>“That…would be scandalous.”</p><p>“You’re gay.”</p><p>“Oh, right.”</p><p>Baekhyun snickered at their stupidity. Truly, his friends had to be the dumbest as well as the smartest people he’d ever had the pleasure of knowing.  </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Wednesday, 25 November (26 days left)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun had been smiling throughout the day. Today, the sun had risen high and cast its soft rays over the snowed-in Crosswords. While the streets were a watery mess, the weather was beautiful. Earlier that morning, all of them had gathered for breakfast, and had an early-morning camping trip in Sehun's garden. Sure, they had to clear out the snow by themselves, but with Chanyeol’s fire powers and Junmyeon’s water ones, it had been ridiculously easy. The camping was filled with laughter and jokes, as if they were just seven boys living their best lives. They had ended camp when Sehun and Junmyeon had gotten <em>too </em>touchy. Now, they had retreated to their homes and rooms. Chanyeol sat beside him, glaring holes into the book he was reading, muttering angrily. The boy was an enthusiastic fiction reader, and Baekhyun was an enthusiastic watcher of Chanyeol reading fiction. He’d glare, curse, squeal and often –</p><p>“I can’t <em>do </em>this anymore!” Chanyeol exclaimed, tossing the book out of the window. Before they could react, there was a wince from below –</p><p>“Park Chanyeol, this is the second time! Could you just let me enjoy my garden and not infiltrate it with books?” Sehun’s loud whine made Baekhyun snort.</p><p>Chanyeol stood up, heading to the window and hanging his head down, “I <em>swear </em>that’s the last time. It’s just – never mind, just hand me the book.”</p><p>“If it happens again, I swear-”</p><p>“It won’t!” Baekhyun chuckled at Chanyeol’s thin, pleading voice. With the cuffs of his long hoodie reaching his knuckles, and his hair messed up from all the turning around he did while reading, he radiated extreme ‘baby’ energy. Earlier that day, Kyungsoo and he had a conversation about who was babier – Jongin or Chanyeol. The conversation had also lent him knowledge about just <em>how much </em>Chanyeol had whined when Baekhyun had been ‘killed’ for the first time.</p><p>Sehun, who had the power of wind, immediately sent the book flying up with such extreme speed that it resulted in the heavy book slamming right into Chanyeol’s face. The boy toppled backwards, a hand holding onto his book while the other grabbed his glasses. Baekhyun winced as he fell onto his back, before shouting at Sehun, the grovelling tone out of his voice –</p><p>“You’re a dickhead!”</p><p>“Don’t throw books in my garden while I’m having tea, sucker,” Sehun’s voice called out, “Look, it’s turned cold because of you.”</p><p>Chanyeol marched to the window in defiance, and snuck a hand out, “Oh, bet you’d enjoy a <em>hot </em>cup of tea.”</p><p>“Chanyeol-” Before Baekhyun could stop it, the magic was done. Sehun screamed, and Baekhyun sighed as he heard the shattering of ceramic. Jongdae was just a little older than these guys, and he was becoming a father, while they were becoming increasingly childish. Truly, some people’s growth was a constant decline of maturity.</p><p>The squabbling went on for a while, before Baekhyun decided it was enough. He stood up, strode towards Chanyeol and grabbed his hand, “Enough play time.” Next, he looked over the window, where Sehun was sitting in a stained white shirt, on a <em>single </em>round table in his garden. Baekhyun rolled his eyes –</p><p>“Aye, stop fighting.”</p><p>“But he started it first-”</p><p>“Do I look like I care?” Baekhyun glared at him, and Sehun huffed before marching inside. With a satisfied smile, Baekhyun pulled back, before turning towards Chanyeol. The taller visibly gulped.</p><p>“Don’t look at me like that.”</p><p>“Like what?”</p><p>“Like you’re making up a list of chants you’d use on me that would result in my funeral being held earlier than my birthday.”</p><p>Baekhyun smiled sweetly at him, “You’re right. I’ve just reached thirty-two.”</p><p>“Baekhyun…”</p><p>“What.”</p><p>“Don’t use that tone.”</p><p>“Which tone?”</p><p>“The ‘I’m done with you’ tone.”</p><p>“But then I’d be lying.”</p><p>Chanyeol pouted, “I thought us dating would be like cuter. But all you do is bully me.”</p><p>Baekhyun mocked a sigh, “That’s what I thought. But my judgement was wrong.” He sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to laugh at Chanyeol’s devastated puppy face. There had to be something wrong with Baekhyun, but he really liked the attention he’d receive afterwards. He counted in his mind. It would probably take five seconds. He was on the count of three when Chanyeol raced towards the bed, before engulfing him in a <em>giant </em>octopus hug, legs tangled and arms all around him.</p><p>“I’m sorry!” Chanyeol pecked his cheeks and nuzzled his nose. Baekhyun sighed in pleasure, before leaning up to drop a kiss onto his eyelids. Chanyeol pushed him further up on the bed, covering him like a super-soft, super-comfortable and warm blanket. “I’ll be a good boy.”</p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t help but grin. It was obvious he had Chanyeol wrapped around his little finger. That’s the way it had been for <em>years. </em>The boy kissed his lips, sucking onto the bottom lip carefully, and nibbling on the top one. Baekhyun slipped his hands into Chanyeol’s, and the boy smiled into the kiss. It didn’t take long for them to become comfortable, and the kiss to become deeper. Chanyeol lowered himself onto Baekhyun, who didn’t mind the weight. He grabbed Chanyeol’s face, tilting it for better access, inserting his tongue inside and taking all the time he had to explore Chanyeol’s mouth. The taller boy returned the favour, making Baekhyun whine when they parted.</p><p>“Was that good?” Chanyeol asked, wiping his chin.</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, eyeing the action, “Very.”</p><p>Chanyeol smiled before kissing the top of his head – something he loved to do, Baekhyun noticed – “So, do you forgive me for being a dumbass?”</p><p>Baekhyun snorted, “You’re always a dumbass.”</p><p>“So, I always have to kiss you as an apology,” Chanyeol mused out, grinning at him. His white teeth bared and his eyes shining – he was brighter than the sun. Baekhyun blinked at him, “Hm, so do I need to do something dumb or may I just kiss you again?”</p><p>“Kiss me.” Baekhyun perked up, “Just kiss me.”</p><p>But Chanyeol leaned back, straightening up, “Oh, I don’t think I should. Since, you’re angry at me.”</p><p>“I’m not!” Baekhyun whined, holding onto his hand, and trying to tug him, “Come on…”</p><p>“But you’re disappointed in me, aren’t you?” The sad look that appeared on his face made Baekhyun panic. He sat up and held Chanyeol’s face.</p><p>“No, I’m not! Hey, I was just joking.” When he didn’t get a response, he lowered his pride down, and bit his lip, “<em>Chanyeollie…</em>I love you.<em>” </em>Although it was difficult not to cringe or wince, he did it. But Chanyeol still didn’t look at him.</p><p>“It’s okay. You don’t have to lie…”</p><p>“But – but I’m not!” Baekhyun was at a loss of words. He just didn’t understand how they went from kissing to <em>this. </em>The panic on his face must be visible, because Chanyeol’s next words were –</p><p>“Aw, you are so cute when you’re not trying to be a smartass.”</p><p>Baekhyun blinked. <em>What?</em></p><p>“Turns out I’m not the only needy one in this relationship. I can’t believe I made you say ‘<em>C-Chanyeollie, I love you</em>’!” Chanyeol squealed with laughter after doing that <em>poor </em>attempt of mimicking Baekhyun. Surely, he didn’t sound that…weird. He had his own pride. “Oh babe, believe me, you sounded <em>just </em>like that.”</p><p>Baekhyun clenched his fist, and glared at Chanyeol with ice, cold eyes, “Next time, Sehun’s having tea, I will toss you out of the window. You’re not required anymore.”</p><p>“You’ll need more muscle for that, Baek.”</p><p>“Oh, don’t worry, I have my wand.”</p><p>“That’s evil of you,” Chanyeol huffed, “A misuse of magic.”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “In that case, I’ve misused magic a <em>lot</em>. So, it won’t be the first time either. Tell me, which destructive chant would you prefer?”</p><p>Chanyeol hummed, a finger on his chin, before his eyes lit up, “Oh, I know! It’s ‘Chanyeol, I love you.’ It’s the <em>most </em>powerful chant.”</p><p>No matter how much he tried to control it, his cheeks reddened, “That…was smooth.”</p><p>“If that was smooth for you, then your levels are damn low.”</p><p>He groaned, “Do you want me to love you or hate you?” Chanyeol blinked, before smiling sheepishly, and pulling him closer. They settled against the headboard, Baekhyun’s feet splayed over Chanyeol’s lap. It was intimate, and it was comfortable.</p><p>“I just want you with me,” Chanyeol smiled at him, and this was sincere. Baekhyun leaned onto his chest, interlinking their fingers. He liked holding hands with Chanyeol – his fingers were long, and his palm was rough, but always warm. He loved the way their hands fit, as if Aphrodite had crafted them for each other.</p><p>“That’s great,” Baekhyun kissed his clothed chest, “Because you’re stuck with me. Forever.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Thursday, 26 November (25 days left)</strong>
</p><p>As the sun drifted beneath the clouds and the laughter, craziness and giggles from the morning eased into something more comfortable, Baekhyun came to an important decision. Chanyeol was sitting on the old, brown couch that smelt like ash, basking in the heat that came from the crinkling fireplace, with a thick, brown-covered book in his hand. There was a pile of books next to him. The sound of crisp pages being turned, and the fragrance that came with books spread throughout the warm air, joined with the fumes of the duck meat that was being cooked by Sehun’s maids. They had shut the windows, for it was snowing heavily outside. Away from the cold, they enjoyed the warm, steady stream of happiness that they felt. Shuffling towards Chanyeol, playing with the strings of his beige sweater, Baekhyun prepared himself.</p><p>“Chanyeol.” He wanted to wince at how abrupt his voice sounded, but his boyfriend looked up at him, slowly, with an ever-ready smile gracing his face, “I was wondering if we could talk…it’s something really important to me.”</p><p>Immediately, Chanyeol shut his book, putting a bookmark where he had left reading, before gesturing for Baekhyun to come closer. The boy complied, sitting on the couch next to Chanyeol. He stared at the blue coils of the fire to distract himself.</p><p>“So I…I found out about my mother,” he breathed, trying to collect himself. Chanyeol fidgeted in front of him. Baekhyun took in another breath, “I know this might come off as a surprise. I mean, nothing prepared you for the talk, so it’s okay that you’re taken aback or-”</p><p>Chanyeol shook his head, “Um, Baek. I already know that something happened, that’s related to your mother. I read the letter Yixing sent, remember? He mentioned something about your mom.” Chanyeol looked at him, fumbling with his fingers, “Are – are you bothered by it? Is it something I shouldn’t have known?”</p><p>Baekhyun finally snapped out of the daze he was in, “What – oh. No, no, no. I’m not bothered. In fact, it makes things a lot easier.” He stared at his lap. After that day, he hadn’t spoken of it, and tried not to think of it more than he had to. He couldn’t afford to distract himself with his own issues when he had bigger responsibilities, “So…I – I told you about the train ride? Right?”</p><p>“Yes, you did.”</p><p>“Okay. So, when I came back, I talked to Ivy about my mother. Because now I knew, my mother was from this world, right? Ivy is one of the oldest trees. I felt it was time for me to know, and so did Ivy. She told me my mom was named Byun Nabi.” Baekhyun’s lips tugged up. In his mind, he had painted this image of her being pretty and cute, and running through a flower field, like a butterfly.</p><p>Chanyeol smiled too, “A butterfly.”</p><p>“Yeah, I think I got my softness from her. Because obviously, Elan doesn’t lean towards the soft side.” He chuckled, “I found out she was a delicate child, so her parents kept her in the house most of the time. They were a bit disappointed about her, because she was always sick, and she wasn’t a boy who could carry the family line, which is very jerkish.”</p><p>“It is,” Chanyeol agreed, and went back to listening carefully, his eyes and ears solely for Baekhyun.</p><p>“She wasn’t able to attend school a lot. She just gave the exams and was home tutored. Ivy told me my mom visited her many times, bringing different snacks. Apparently, my mom liked spring breezes. She rolled around in the snow until my grandparents scolded her.” There was fondness in Baekhyun’s clear eyes, as if he were living through those memories that weren’t his. Chanyeol could only smile at him. “Oh, and even though she was taught at home, she knew some badass chants from all the years of living in the houses of Veyshigi-Aurorian homes. I think that’s how she met Elan.”</p><p>“Must be,” Chanyeol supplied, “What happened next?” Baekhyun’s eyes became misty, and Chanyeol brought him closer. He was no fool. He knew what happened next or had a brief idea. But he also knew that the point of this discussion wasn’t solely so that Chanyeol knew about it all. It was also for Baekhyun – so that he could speak those words out and gain an identity.</p><p>“Then, Elan and she began dating. They weren’t into PDA. They didn’t have many friends, and the little people that were thought to be their friends weren’t aware that they were dating. After school was over, they shifted into their house and got married, but nobody knew. Elan was a member of the council, while Nabi was more into writing and reading. She wasn’t one who enjoyed working at fixed times,” Baekhyun chuckled at that, even when his throat was closing up, “Then, they decided they wanted a kid. By now, they were the sole ‘heirs’ of their family lines. They didn’t have their parents anymore. So, they had me, but – did I mention she was weak?” His voice cracked and wordlessly, Chanyeol pulled him into his lap.</p><p>“Yeah. Go on, Baek. You can do this.” Chanyeol kissed his temple. It was his way of showing his love for Baekhyun.</p><p>Baekhyun let out a wet chuckle, and held onto his shoulders, “Yes, I can. I can do this.” He took a short breather, before launching back into the narrative, “I was premature, born in the afternoon when nobody was at home except for her. Nobody could assist her and by the time, Elan came…it was too late. He saved me, made me strong enough for months and then, like the epitome of a proper father, he dumped me on Earth.” Baekhyun snorted.</p><p>Chanyeol sighed, running his hand through his hair, “You did it.”</p><p>“I can’t believe I did that.”</p><p>“I can. You’re so strong. You know that, right?”</p><p>Baekhyun smiled, leaning back into his touch, “Do you think I’ll have a proper family?” Chanyeol’s fingers were cold against his warm head. He ruffled his hair and made weird patterns on his head. His other hand was wound against his waist, holding him close to his chest.</p><p>“Hmm…I’d say it depends.”</p><p>“On?”</p><p>“On what you consider to be a proper family.”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “I don’t know. Just something normal, where you have, like, a house to your family name where you return after a day long of work. And there are your family members. Pictures on the wall, and old stories…and yeah.”</p><p>“I think…you’d definitely have a proper family,” Chanyeol said, “With your own kids, many dogs, friends and of course, your dear husband called Chanyeol.”</p><p>Baekhyun giggled, “Did you just propose to me?”</p><p>“If you’d say yes, then yes.”</p><p>“I’ll say no,” Baekhyun said honestly, “Because we haven’t saved the world, yet. I don’t want to say yes only for us to kill each other.”</p><p>“I’m honestly disappointed that I got rejected but I get your point.” Chanyeol turned his face towards him and pecked his nose, “Can I ask you another question?”</p><p>“Go ahead.”</p><p>“What about Elan? And Aisha?”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “Aisha is my mom. She’s raised me. She knows me better than I must know myself. And, oh! I forgot to tell you. She accepts the fact that I like men, and she asked me to bring you over once everything’s done.”</p><p>“I’d love to come,” Chanyeol said, before wrinkling his eyebrows, “Honestly, if everything turns out to be fine, won’t it be better if you brought <em>her </em>over? She doesn’t have people she’s close to on Earth, anyway.”</p><p>Baekhyun had never thought of it. He’d always imagined a fair, distinct line between Crosswords and those fields, and that was the cave. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if she’d agree.”</p><p>Chanyeol hummed, “But you could ask her.”</p><p>“I…could.”</p><p>“And Elan?”</p><p>“What about him?”</p><p>“He’s your biological dad.”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “It’s his choice if he wants to be more than that.”</p><p>“Would you let him be more than that?”</p><p>“I won’t stop him,” Baekhyun gazed down, “Does that make me weak? I’m still looking for his attention.”</p><p>Chanyeol smiled at him, “No, Baekhyun. It makes you stronger than ever.”</p><p>Those words calmed something down in him, and with a last, deep kiss delivered on Chanyeol’s lips, that he could have taken further, but he didn’t – not today – he cuddled up against the man he loved, and watched the snowfall as the fire reflected on their faces, “If you say so.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Friday, 27 November (24 days left)</strong>
</p><p>The Friday sun glanced up slowly, parting the thick, snowy clouds and shining its light on the city below. But the citizens did not notice that. They walked the streets, an unexplainable darkness on their face that had been there for a while now. Their boots left prints on the snow, and they believed their hearts were walked upon, too. They had many concerns – the war, the phantom lights on the temple, the fire in The Maple Leaf, missing children, closed Academy, bad economy. For them, it felt like the end of the world.</p><p>Baekhyun woke up, a smile on his face, and turned to the heavy mass sleeping next to him. He poked Chanyeol’s cheek, before dropping a kiss at the exact place, and whispered –</p><p>“Hey, nerd. It’s your birthday today.”</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun had never quite realized just how <em>bad </em>singers all of them were, until they sang the happy birthday song to Chanyeol, bopping heads and clapping their hands bringing about a harmony of shrill, ugly, off-pitch noises, whale laughter and a very untuned drum party. But the ear-ripping sounds felt good too. There was just magic in the air, and there was a sense of firmness and finality. Just as a judge banging his gavel, they clapped, and they sang.</p><p>Tomorrow, it will all be gone. But today, Baekhyun was the happiest man on Earth.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“Do you think we could sign up for cake-cutting classes?” Chanyeol whispered to him that night, as they sat near the fireplace, cuddled up. Like the coils of fire tantalizingly licking the wood, desire stroked Baekhyun’s mind. In such an ambience, where bits and streams of yearning ran through his blood, they kept quiet.</p><p>“Maybe. Choir classes would be good, too,” he whispered back, running his fingers onto Chanyeol’s arm. That night, there was a thin line between them, and both of them were waiting to see who would break it. Chanyeol turned towards him, and Baekhyun yelped – he was too close. The fire illuminated his face in shades of red, and he looked beautiful, embers dancing in his eyes, and radiating a warmth that Baekhyun desperately wanted to feel.</p><p>Chanyeol hummed, “You’re a good singer. You could take the classes.” His face was right next to Baekhyun’s, the tips of their noses brushed each other. He gripped Baekhyun’s hand and brought it to his lips, delivering kisses onto each of his knuckles, “The best ever.”</p><p>Baekhyun smiled, but his eyes were onto Chanyeol’s hands – the way he gripped his wrist effortlessly, tugging it closer to him. He decided he’d take a risk too, and he swung his legs, hooking his ankle below Chanyeol’s knees, and pulling it closer, such that it lay between Baekhyun’s thighs. He exhaled, just how wonderful that little action felt! </p><p>He didn’t dare look up at Chanyeol, though. He was brave, but not brave enough.</p><p>Thankfully, Chanyeol took that risk. He cupped his cheeks and tilted his face up. Baekhyun’s lips parted at Chanyeol’s flushed face, and no, it wasn’t the fire. Baekhyun felt warm, so warm that it prickled him. He took another risk, gazed into his lover’s eyes, before leaning closer into Chanyeol, who accepted and let out a string of breathy chuckles.</p><p>“Feeling bold, aren’t we?”</p><p>“You tell me.”</p><p>Chanyeol took this as a ‘yes’ and plucked his lips onto Baekhyun’s, devouring them into a deep kiss, his other arm sneaking behind his waist. It was packed, but undeniably close. Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol’s chest moving against him, every sensation, every little jerk. Their legs were a tangled mess, and hands wrapped around each other, <em>close</em>. Their hips were pressed, and it was so painful, it burnt so much. Baekhyun just wanted release.</p><p>Deciding to just…fuck it, he spoke, “Nerd.”</p><p>“Baek.”</p><p>And then the words just didn’t slip out. What should he say? Should he just say ‘I’m horny and hard. Do something,’? But that wasn’t the mood. Caught in a loophole of awkwardness, he didn’t notice Chanyeol leaning below until he felt a hot, wet sensation on his neck. It tickled. Baekhyun’s length throbbed. He just…needed friction – any kind of friction.</p><p>“Y-Yeol,” he moaned out, before realizing that <em>fuck, he did that. </em>With wide, panicked eyes, he pushed Chanyeol away, blushing uncontrollably. The taller boy sat on his haunches, staring at him with those heavily concerned eyes that he just <em>couldn’t meet. Stop looking at me like that.</em></p><p>“Baek?” Chanyeol asked and Baekhyun just couldn’t change how it made him feel – all sorts of hot, and warm, as if he was wrapped inside a blanket, worshipped, fed, and patted. “Did I take it too far?”</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, still not looking up. He couldn’t – his cheeks felt so hot, he wanted to cup them. And he was sure his eyes betrayed just <em>what </em>he was thinking about.</p><p>“Then...was it too soon?”</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head again, praying to whatever thing he could in hopes that Chanyeol would take the right kiss. His body squirmed uncomfortably, his thighs pressing closer. He blushed more – fuck, could Chanyeol see the hardness in his pants? What would he think of Baekhyun? It was just one, innocent neck kiss.</p><p>“Baek?” Chanyeol sounded so worried, “Could you please tell me what’s wrong? Hmm? Talk to me, yeah?” His hand reached out, squeezing onto Baekhyun’s own, and he could just eye and feel, just how <em>huge </em>Chanyeol’s hand was in comparison to his own, how rough, and warm it felt and –</p><p>“Y-You didn’t take it too far.” Baekhyun bit his lips, “In fact, I want you to take it further.”</p><p>He didn’t get an immediate reply from Chanyeol, so with the last of the courage he could muster, he glanced up, feeling so insecure as he did that. Chanyeol had not let go of his hand…so everything should be fine, right?</p><p>But when he finally looked at the face of his lover, he couldn’t help but <em>ache </em>in all the right ways. Chanyeol was looking at him – through him – with darkened eyes, that screamed nothing but love…and lust.</p><p>“I’d love that,” Chanyeol said finally, “If you’re okay with it, I’d love to have you…closer to me, Baekhyun.”</p><p>“Okay,” he gasped out, and gulped before squeezing onto Chanyeol’s hand, “Yes. Okay.”</p><p>Before another word could slip out of his mouth, Chanyeol’s lips were on his mouth again. But this time, it was different. Electric shocks travelled down Baekhyun’s spine. Chanyeol had pressed Baekhyun to his chest, and controlled his face with another hand, while Baekhyun grasped onto his shoulder, responding eagerly to the kiss. He was sure he was squeezing too hard, in a way that would leave some marks, but Chanyeol didn’t complain.</p><p>As they kissed, Baekhyun felt desire and confidence illuminate, just like the fire. Slowly, teasingly, he slid one finger down Chanyeol’s shoulder, down his collarbone, stopped briefly at his nipple, the shape of which was prominent against his light shirt. He pressed onto it, and Chanyeol yelped in the kiss, parting to breathe. Every hot breath fell onto Baekhyun’s face, burning his skin, electrifying him. He closed his eyes and continued to slide his finger down. His nail pressed into Chanyeol’s skin. He felt through his hard abdomen, his torso, his pelvis before he stopped at Chanyeol’s thigh, sending electricity sparking through his skin. He was so close, yet so far. Before he could do anything else, Chanyeol’s lips pressed onto his jaw, mouthing at it. Baekhyun tilted his face back, baring his neck and leaving everything to his disposal.</p><p>“It – it feels so good.”</p><p>Chanyeol hummed through the kiss, using his hands to press onto Baekhyun’s clavicles, pushing his shoulders back. Baekhyun grunted as his back arched deliciously. Through hard breathing and a hazy gaze, he could see Chanyeol wrapping his hand around his back, assuring that he stayed in that position, before dropping his warm, pulpy lips to Baekhyun’s sensitive neck, sucking onto it. He throbbed, rubbing against air for friction and grasped onto Chanyeol’s thigh –</p><p>“Ch-Chan…<em>fuck.</em>”</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t say anything. He kept sucking on one spot on his clavicle. It ached, but Baekhyun didn’t want him to let go. He held onto Chanyeol’s hair with his other hand, tugging him closer, and the boy let out an impossibly hot whine that made his knees shake. Chanyeol must have noticed it, because he let go of Baekhyun’s skin with a <em>pop </em>and hooked his hands under his knees.</p><p>“The bed’s better, huh?” Baekhyun nodded feverishly, turning his face towards Chanyeol’s chest and grasping at the little skin he could see. Once he was placed safely upon the bed, he tugged onto Chanyeol’s shirt –</p><p>“Open it.”</p><p>The taller boy did so without any resistance. Baekhyun’s hands were immediately on him, pulling him closer such that their hips lined with each other. Chanyeol’s weight against him was a sin; it felt so, so good. He kissed his warm, firm shoulders, as Chanyeol’s huge hand sneaked beneath Baekhyun’s shirt, splaying flat against his stomach.</p><p>“Cute,” Chanyeol smiled, “You look cute like this – so red, and so fucking hot.”</p><p>Baekhyun leaned back on the bed, and spread his arms outwards, “Take my shirt off.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled as he grabbed the hem, “Gladly, darling.” The word <em>darling </em>sent another one of those electrical shocks through him. The imagery of Chanyeol ploughing into him, caressing him, loving him, while calling him <em>darling </em>was so intense that once Baekhyun’s shirt was off, he hooked his legs around Chanyeol’s waist, bringing him closer to his crotch –</p><p>“I – I need…” He couldn’t finish his sentence because Chanyeol rubbed against him, and the friction was so delicious, so dangerous, he cursed under his breath. He wanted Chanyeol. He wanted him, now. “Hurry-!”</p><p>Chanyeol breathed out, and dropped a kiss onto his temple, “Be patient, darling.”</p><p>Baekhyun whined at the ‘darling’ again.</p><p>Chanyeol tilted his head, staring into his eyes, “Hmm? You like that.”</p><p>“I love it,” Baekhyun gasped out with some difficulty, rubbing against Chanyeol once again. They moaned together at the intense, fiery, hotness that was building up. The room was burning, their hearts were ablaze, all they wanted was <em>release, </em>“Chanyeol, please-”</p><p>“I know, believe me, I know.” He sounded just as desperate as Baekhyun was, and wordlessly, dipped down towards Baekhyun’s chest – a span of white, fresh skin, waiting to be marked. There were a few scars here and there, but that just added to his sexiness. Chanyeol traced one of them, on his ribs –</p><p>“You got this in the Weary Woods, the first day. It was wild.” He muttered words that Baekhyun only half-understood, before kissing them, as if they were gems. Baekhyun throbbed again, his length hard, but still locked in the confines of his tight pants.</p><p>“Chanyeol…” He whined, half-sobbing in desperation, “Please.”</p><p>The taller boy nodded, but he didn’t fasten his pace. It seemed that he enjoyed this, pushing Baekhyun to the last of his sanity, before breaking him. The fire crackled in the room, as Chanyeol licked, and sucked onto his chest, all around except for his diamond-hard buds that were <em>screaming </em>for attention. It was too much, the teasing, the wait. Baekhyun tried to move his hips, but Chanyeol’s hand prevented him.</p><p>“<em>Chanyeol!” </em>Baekhyun screamed, so fucking aroused, “Please. Please. Just do…something!” He was begging – that needy. But Chanyeol just kissed him, his finger on Baekhyun’s chest, circling his nipple, but never stopping at it. Baekhyun held onto his biceps for support as they kissed. Chanyeol nipped at his lips.</p><p>“You look so beautiful right now, Baek. So flushed, so whiny, so <em>raw.</em>” Chanyeol whispered, chasing his lips, “I’m so in love with you, you know that, right?”</p><p>Baekhyun sniffed, “I – I do. I love you too...but please.”</p><p>“Just a bit more. I promise. I don’t want to rush it, you’re way too handsome for that.” Chanyeol pecked his lips, smiling at him encouragingly, and Baekhyun could only sob – no tears coming out, but pure desperation slipping through. He loved Chanyeol, loved how much he cared for him, how much he loved him – and finally, he was so close to him, closer than ever.</p><p>Chanyeol didn’t tease him anymore, and rubbed his hand against his nipple, “It’s so hard.” He brought his plump lips around them, looking up at Baekhyun before <em>sucking. </em>Baekhyun whined loudly, throwing his head back as finally, <em>finally, </em>he got something.</p><p>“Chan-Chanyeol!” He was an incomprehensible mess, but Chanyeol still understood him, and sucked harder, massaging his other nipple, rounding the red area. He licked the salt off Baekhyun’s skin, as Baekhyun’s eyes rolled back into his socket, a hand mindlessly running up and down Chanyeol’s hair and his strong shoulders that held onto him, so close. Slowly, Chanyeol slammed his hips against his, and Baekhyun moaned again, before deciding he needed to fasten the pace.</p><p>He let his hand travel further down, into the heat, and traced the line of Chanyeol’s pants before slipping his index in. Chanyeol paused, his chest heaving up and down, eyes closed. His skin was feverish against Baekhyun, who pushed Chanyeol so that he was the one lying on the bed, an arm over his eyes as he watched Baekhyun, who boldly unbuttoned his pants and wriggled out of them.</p><p>“Fuck,” Chanyeol muttered, eyes on his underwear-clad pelvis, “You have pretty thighs. I want to kiss them until you cry.”</p><p>Baekhyun chuckled lightly, but he couldn’t disagree that the picture that the words brought into his mind…was definitely something he’d look forward to. He held onto the waistline of Chanyeol’s pants, tilting his head to look up at him –</p><p>“Go ahead,” Chanyeol answered the unasked question, watching with hawk-eyes as Baekhyun unzipped his pants, and lowered them to his ankles, as Chanyeol kicked them away.</p><p>There they were, bare, only in underwear, two boys in love.</p><p>Baekhyun took a shaky breath, “That’s huge…” The bulge in Chanyeol’s underwear was prominent, a patch of the cloth was damp. Baekhyun leaned down closer. He heard Chanyeol take in a deep breath, as Baekhyun’s nimble fingers traced the bulge –</p><p>“Baek – fuck-” Chanyeol moaned, thrusting up, but Baekhyun backed away, smirking at him –</p><p>“Now, who’s begging?”</p><p> </p><p>As the night deepened, they held onto each other with a desperation that only someone who’d gone through what they were going through could feel. They were spent, warm, and comfortable. The fire had died down, but few embers still caught onto logs and crackled in the dark. The night was silent, but for them, they talked in hushed voices, sleepy yawns, and honest giggles.</p><p>“You’ve always been good at talking,” Chanyeol smiled at him, “I remember when you persuaded the chef back at school to give you extra meat and chocolates.”</p><p>Baekhyun chuckled, “Well, today, we find out, my mouth is good at various things.” His voice was hoarse from their…uh, indulgent - nefarious? - activities. Chanyeol laughed out heartily, pressing him closer –</p><p>“I’m not too bad! I gave a decent hand-job,” he pouted, “Now, if we had some lube…”</p><p>“We should’ve asked Sehun,” Baekhyun yawned, closing his eyes and burying his face into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck, “I’m sure he had plenty of lube and condoms.”</p><p>Chanyeol snorted, “Yeah, I don’t think he’ll approve of us fucking in his house in his Aunt’s room.”</p><p>Baekhyun opened his eyes, leaning back to stare at Chanyeol’s face as if he had grown a second head, “Huh? This is his Aunt’s room?”</p><p>“Yeah. She’s a strict lady. She runs the commerce farm at Junction -10.”</p><p>“And we sucked each other off in this room?” Baekhyun gasped, staring around as if a lady with a bitch-resting face similar to Sehun would come and glare at them for ruining her blankets, “I knew I was going to hell.”</p><p>Chanyeol laughed again, heartily, slapping Baekhyun’s arm. It had been some time since he had laughed that way, as if nothing else mattered than that moment. In the past, they had complained about the mega-laughter, but now, Baekhyun was so eternally grateful for it. If they survived, if everything went right, if every if was accomplished…then maybe, they could be themselves again.</p><p>“Darling, there’s plenty of things you could go to hell for, and I don’t think orgasming on the bed of a rude aunt is one of them,” Chanyeol said, after he’d regained his breathing.</p><p>“For instance?” Baekhyun pouted, “I’m a nice person. It’s the situation we’re in that’s not genuinely nice.”</p><p>“Well,” Chanyeol clicked his tongue, and leaned in closer, a glimmer in his eyes, “For being so sinfully hot, obviously.”</p><p>Baekhyun laughed and let Chanyeol indulge him in another one of his deep kisses.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>7</h1><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Carpe Diem - Seize the day</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Saturday, 28 November (23 days left)</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Dear Valia,</p><p>My favourite potato! How are you? I’m missing you so bad. There’s so much work here. We’ve got assignments, practical work and to top it all, the professors are stingy. But it’s okay because I have your picture next to me. You look so good in the mini-skirt, I want to feel you up. I miss you. So, I authored an essay on your beauty, here you go:</p><p>Valia, whose beauty shines like an emerald in the dark sea, alright fine, I’m done pretending to not be a homo. I think they won’t read further than this. Anyway, Valia, you okay? I have some vital information to relay to you. The army is training harder than ever and the professors are vocal about ‘war.’ They say they’ve received some letter or something asking to surrender but your father said that couldn’t happen. Also, your father, Valia. Till now, he was supposedly working in the council, but he came back, and he looked unlike himself, very thin, very tired. He, in fact, asked Yixing to visit him. We were scared of course, but it turned out he kind of knew some things and he was asking if you were okay and alive. We didn’t answer, though. I don’t know why I didn’t feel safe enough yet. But, yeah, there’s the war, there’s your dad asking about you, and they’ve opened new sections in the library, which has some books mentioning the v-person. Professor Vaz mentioned you out of nowhere in a class and it became controversial, so stay safe and low. Happy Birthday Chanyeol. I’m sorry we’re not there but we love you, because Valia you’re so pretty and so nice.</p><p>Valia, you can do it! Bye! I’ll send you another letter.</p><p>Yours,</p><p>Minseok.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“Minseok’s clever,” Jongdae commented reading the letter the next morning, as everybody jostled around, getting ready, “This is crack material.”</p><p>Baekhyun turned around to spare him a smile, before re-checking his inventory. Chanyeol and he were leaving that morning. Jongin was going to teleport them to Nicolas’s house, and from there, they were going to be alone, stranded in the Mist. Time was running thin. They couldn’t afford any more delays.</p><p>“Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo called his name out, “Let’s do a little check, okay?”</p><p>Baekhyun straightened himself, “Okay.”</p><p>“Food?”</p><p>“Check.”</p><p>“Clothes?”</p><p>“Check.”</p><p>“Wands?”</p><p>“Check.”</p><p>“Destination?”</p><p>“Fortress of Sins,” Baekhyun breathed out. Kyungsoo gave him a thumbs-up, before doing the same evaluation with Chanyeol. Jongin tagged behind Kyungsoo, like he always did, while Sehun entertained Jongdae and Junmyeon with some breakfast, as they’d arrived here later than the others.</p><p>Once, they were all set, Jongin elbowed Kyungsoo, who spluttered out, “Um – also. We have news.”</p><p>“Bad news or good news?” Chanyeol perked up.</p><p>“Not related to the war or whatever,” he said, before linking his hand with Jongin, “We – Jongin and I – are a thing, now.” Kyungsoo probably expected happy smiles and hugs, but all he got was Baekhyun fishing out three cents from his pocket and dropping them in Jongdae’s hands.</p><p>“You won by a day,” he sneered.</p><p>Jongdae leaned back, basking in the attention, “I still won, darling.”</p><p>“Don’t call him that!” Chanyeol said from the couch, and Baekhyun blushed as Jongdae wriggled his eyebrows and turned to Sehun.</p><p>“Sehun, let’s do another bet - one related to these two.”</p><p>“Alright.”</p><p>Baekhyun slapped their heads, glaring at them, “Now, listen you dumb-fucks, we’re ready to leave, so hold onto your bets.”</p><p>“You’ll be back in, like, a few days, though.” Jongdae grinned at them, “Then you’d see that I won the bet.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Sehun stated, turning towards Chanyeol, “While I hate you very much, don’t take more than four days. If you don’t come back in four days, I’ll start planning your funeral.” His tone was light, but the words weren’t. Baekhyun wondered about the Fortress of Sins again. They just had to go in and destroy a cloak, right? Surely, four days were enough. Elijah had gone there and returned in three days.</p><p>“Alright,” Baekhyun assured, “We’ll remember that. Now, let’s leave.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Staring at Nicolas’ cottage, Baekhyun felt a deep sense of melancholy. Between the worlds apart, this small cottage had become a pillar for them, and so has the man living in it. When Baekhyun was younger, he had been interested in collecting things – rocks, shells, animals, jewellery, books, and people. He had made a list of all those people that he <em>always </em>wanted by his side. The first name had been Chanyeol, the second Aisha and the third Elan. Then, all his friends. Now, the list included the name Nicolas Bethan Zade, too. It was a recent addition, but a crucial one.</p><p>They jumped the fence, like they had done on previous instances and knocked on the door. Immediately, Nicolas stuck his head out, and his lips spread into an honest smile when he saw them.</p><p>“It’s you again!” He exclaimed, opening the door wide, “I was wondering if I’d see you. Those three left in a haste.”</p><p>Jongin smiled sheepishly, “We were running a tight schedule. We still are, in fact. I’m just here to drop these two.”</p><p>“Oh.” His face fell and he turned to Baekhyun, “Aren’t you going to stay the night?”</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, “No, I’m sorry. We’re chasing the Mist again. We just came to say hello. Chanyeol and I would leave too.”</p><p>“Ah…that’s sad. I was so worried when Chanyeol told me about you. Are you okay, now?”</p><p>Baekhyun flexed his arm, “Well, as okay as I can be,” he smiled cheekily, “And that’s good enough.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“I really thought I’d never see you children again,” Nicolas shuffled through the kitchen, pouring them a hot cup of aromatic tea. Baekhyun inhaled the fragrance.</p><p>“Is this lavender?”</p><p>“And cinnamon. Smells nice, yes?”</p><p>“Very.” He took the cup in his palms and took a sip, “Tastes great, too.”</p><p>“Oh, well. You could have a bunch.” He put the tea in a cloth bag and handed it to them, with a smile so bright that Baekhyun didn’t refuse. Now, he was armed with his wand and a bag of tea leaves. It was ridiculous, yes, but it warmed Baekhyun’s heart. He liked this – Nicolas moving about, trying to comfort them, trying to help them. He genuinely cared, treated them like they were his children.</p><p>Baekhyun played with the spoon, before deciding that life was way too short to not be honest, “You know, Nicolas.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“I have a list of people that I want in my life forever – ones that I can’t ever let go of.” He smiled at Nicolas whose eyes were damp, “And you’re on it. So, as long as we’re alive and okay, you could always watch out for a visit.”</p><p>Nicolas nodded, not saying a word, before he moved a honey jar towards Chanyeol, “Try it with some honey. It makes everything sweeter.”</p><p>They talked for a little while, updated him on everything. It turned out that Nicolas knew bits and pieces about his mother.</p><p>“Nabi? She was enrolled in many classes that I was in. Tea-making, art, and we worked together in the children’s book fair back in 1987. I never knew she was your mother, or that she was married to Elan.” It pained him that his existence was a secret but hearing about his mother’s activities made him feel happy. She was really a butterfly.</p><p>“You know, Baekhyun and Chanyeol,” Nicolas started, “If everything turns out okay, and the people learn the truth, then I’d move back to the city.”</p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t hide his joy, “Really? You’d live there?”</p><p>“Yes. While this is a sweet accommodation,” he looked around, a sense of longing in his eyes, “It sure gets a little lonely. So, yeah, I’d move back to the city. Maybe open an herbs and tea shop…or a poison one.”</p><p>They laughed.</p><p>“It all depends on you,” he smiled at them, “And I know you’d be the ones to succeed.”</p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun didn’t reply. They just looked at each other and smiled. They’d try their best. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur - The world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived </em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>As they trudged the fields, Baekhyun thought of Chanyeol’s eyes. There was a picture in his mind; Chanyeol’s soft hair falling on his forehead, in brown, pretty tuffs and curls. He wasn’t wearing glasses. His eyes were open wide, stretched beautifully to fit their shape. He dreamed of the hazel flecks in them, that danced brighter when they sat against a warm fire in the coldest of nights.</p><p>But then, the hazel flecks would disappear and his eyes would narrow – one of the orbs would lose colour and his pupil would harden into a single bead, while the other would become murky, the hazel flecks diminishing as the ruthless sea-waves brought them under.</p><p>Sometimes, he’d think back to his own eyes. They were sea-green, an exceptionally light shade, hinted with blue, but then, the lines of his face would harden, and his eyes would shine and darken into something alien. It had been quite long since he had looked into the mirror and recognized his eyes as his own. Because no matter how much he tried to run from it, Elijah resided inside him, and he wouldn’t leave easily.</p><p>Elijah wasn’t supposed to have heirs, he thought. It was a replaying curse that had caused Elijah’s form to come to life, and Viscaris wasn’t supposed to exist at all. Only Aurora’s powers of peace should have passed down – the others had to die. His mind raced wildly as they walked in whatever direction they wanted. For the first hour, they had used Chanyeol’s compass to trudge towards North, and when they had been deep in the fields, where every direction looked the same – yellowed, frosty grass and the sky, they had burnt the object.</p><p>They no longer needed direction. They just had a destination.</p><p>While the thought of being completely stranded in the fields was numbingly scary, Baekhyun had accepted that they needed to face this. They had to feel the desperation, the lostness, the misery. So, they didn’t talk, smile, laugh or look at each other – because if they did, they would feel happy, and safe. <em>Home.</em></p><p>They weren’t supposed to feel that. So, they kept walking. The blue sky streaked above them, and the grass spread below them.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The night was dark, no stars, no moon, no warmth. Baekhyun didn’t feel cold either. He kept walking, wordlessly, like a ghoul. If there had been twinkling of light inside him, the dead fields stomped them out. He wanted to reach somewhere, so he kept walking. Despair pounded in his blood, but he was indifferent. He just wanted to reach there.</p><p>The Fortress of Sins.</p><p>This time, as the storm surrounded him, he didn’t protest. It was dark, and it was cold. Some voices weren’t his own. The blades of the grass no longer prickled his legs. Frozen in time, he still walked, round, straight, back, left, right – as if he were a puppet being moved around by a drunk puppeteer. He jumped, just because he wanted to, but the Mist followed him everywhere.</p><p>
  <em>Who are you?</em>
</p><p>“I’m Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun.”</p><p>
  <em>No, who are you?</em>
</p><p>He gasped out, “Elijah. I am Elijah.”</p><p>The voice didn’t reply.</p><p>Hours passed, could’ve been days maybe, but he didn’t stop. He imagined the cloak, the fortress of sins. How far was it? How near was it? Could he leap and find it? Could he stop and see it? Both these options sounded tempting, but Baekhyun followed none of them. He kept walking with his eyes open. White mist breezed over his skin, but it only brought more white mist. Just how they floated, he floated too, moving like shadows of the dead in the dark.</p><p>Then, he saw it. The Mist cleared, bits and pieces, spreading away. A tall pinnacle stretched to the sky, big, golden gates lay in front of him, built with the darkest rocks, and the brightest gems, flowers of purple and pink blooming in the huge garden that stretched from the gates to the castle, it stood in front of him –</p><p>The Fortress of Sins.</p><p>A smile drew itself onto his face. He had reached his destination. Drunkenly, he opened the gates and stepped inside. </p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>He waded through the garden, feeling the touch of wheat blades on his fingers. It felt like home. He didn’t realize how long he walked before he was <em>inside </em>the fortress. A long, dark hallway stretched in front of him, but it didn’t scare him. He strode towards it, a calm settling in his heart. As he stepped forward, the darkness right in front of him dimmed, just enough to show that he was in the hallway. Light travelled as if it were in a tight, narrow pipe, and it was strangely comforting.</p><p>Once his legs started aching, the hallways came to a stop. He stared at the huge king-sized bed, covered with a grey satin sheet, and twin pillows. The headboard was made of black wood, and Baekhyun found himself climbing onto it, bringing the pillow closer. Suddenly, he yearned for Chanyeol’s warmth around him. It was cold.</p><p>“Baekhyun.” He turned around to see Chanyeol climbing on the bed, a lazy smile on his face, “We made it.”</p><p>“Yeah, we did.” He loved the way Chanyeol moved closer to him, encasing him in a warm hold. His heart was light, it felt like soft piano beats were playing in the background. He blinked, before he realized he wasn’t imagining the piano beats. The calming sounds drifted into the room, beautifully agonizing, pulling Baekhyun deeper into sleep. As he yawned, his eyes drifted onto a black material on the side of the bed, hanging from the headboard, “What’s that?”</p><p>Chanyeol stared where he was gazing, before shrugging, “I don’t know.”</p><p>It felt like he was missing a detail, but then he was way too thirsty to care. He looked around the darkness, before he spotted a wooden table right next to the bed, where two glasses of sparkling water, and a warm meal of <em>gochujang bimba, </em>along with <em>kimbap rolls, </em>and clear chicken soup.</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, “Funny, I was just thinking about that exact meal.”</p><p>Baekhyun smiled, handing the plates to him. He hesitated a little before bringing the glass to his lips. It felt like he was forgetting something, a foreign melody inside his mind, but then, the smell of the food was distracting, so he drank the water and shared a few jokes with Chanyeol as they ate the food, cooked exactly the way they liked it.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun pressed his hand to the wall of the hallway, darkness clouding it. He walked ahead until he was way too tired. He pouted. There was no place to sit in this fortress. Right then, the hallway widened, and the bed was in front of him. He didn’t think twice or blink at the weird, black cloth, before jumping onto the fluffy bed. He was tired, but not too tired to sleep. Chanyeol was still out exploring the Fortress – Baekhyun had done his part. There was nothing other than dark hallways, and the garden.</p><p>Suddenly, Chanyeol emerged from the dark, giving him a tired smile, “Hey, darling.”</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>“Damn, you’re chirpy,” he yawned, “I feel like sleeping, don’t you?”</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, “No, I just…felt like reading, I guess?”</p><p>“Well, good for you, there’s a book on the table.”</p><p>Baekhyun turned around and indeed there was a book, with a maroon cover, and silver letting. He let out a pleased gasp, “Oh! It’s my favourite book – Glimmer.”</p><p>Chanyeol just nodded, before settling onto the bed. He reached out to the darkness and grabbed a sleeping mask, “You could keep the lights on. Love you.”</p><p>Baekhyun patted his head, running his hands through his hair, “Love you too.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>“You seriously haven’t had caviar sauce?” Chanyeol’s eyes were wide, “I love it!”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, “Doesn’t it taste like grapes?”</p><p>“Grapes?”</p><p>“Because caviar wine…and wine is grape-y.”</p><p>“No, that’s not even remarkably close,” Chanyeol huffed, and turned his attention onto the table on their side, “Look, we have a potato dish with caviar sauce today. Taste it and tell me.”</p><p>Baekhyun rolled his eyes at his boyfriend’s passion, before grabbing the plates and handing one to Chanyeol. The dish looked pretty, scallops, assorted vegetables, and drizzled sauce. Baekhyun spooned the sauce first and brought it to his lips. He frowned at the taste –</p><p>“It tastes like grapes!”</p><p>Chanyeol frowned at him, “No, it doesn’t? Did you burn your taste buds?”</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, trying another spoonful, but the punch of the grapefruit was undeniable. It was exactly the way he had imagined it. He gathered a spoon, and brought it to Chanyeol’s mouth, “It tastes like grapes, doesn’t it?”</p><p>“It can’t taste <em>further </em>away from grapes. It tastes just how it should,” Chanyeol exclaimed, giving Baekhyun a spoon from his own plate…but it still tasted like grapes.</p><p>“Whatever,” Baekhyun said finally, “Let’s just eat this.”</p><p>Chanyeol shrugged and got back to his own meal.</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>His hands grazed the walls of the hallway, trying to understand which material it was, but every time he lunged, the darkness would fall over him. Chanyeol didn’t mind it. It was comfortable. He walked a lot that day, until the darkness got suffocating. Turning his head, he saw a window on his left that let in the hazy, bright sunlight and fresh air. He smiled. He loved this place.</p><p>
  <em>Who are you?</em>
</p><p>One of the many phantom voices in the fortress that he and Baekhyun had discovered asked. Chanyeol didn’t mind them. They were just like him – they found a home in the Fortress of Sins.</p><p>“Park Chanyeol.”</p><p>
  <em>I didn’t ask for your name. I asked, ‘who are you?’</em>
</p><p>Chanyeol knew the answer by now, for there was one identity he had. He couldn’t help but smile at the hazy sunlight that fell in through the window. It was brighter than any other sun, yet it was cold.</p><p>“I am Aurora’s heir; the curse of Viscaris.”</p><p>The voice seemed to be satisfied for it didn’t reply, and Chanyeol turned around, feeling his legs tire, and the bed lay in front of him. He sat on the edge, looking at the empty bed – it missed Baekhyun, his lover. But he didn’t have to worry because Baekhyun walked in a second later, a loving smile on his face –</p><p>“Missed me?”</p><p>“As always.”</p><p>They fell onto the bed, a heap of giggles, kisses, and desire that was replenished. There was nobody around who could complain about the loud moans, nobody that would judge them, so they made love, loud, bold, and clear.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>They lay in the gardens, surrounded by their favourite flowers – Heathers and Iris. The bright, cold, hazy sun was high above them, but they didn’t have to strain their eyes to look at the floating yellow yolk. The blue sky stretched out until they could see. The huge walls of the fortress prevented them from seeing anything, anyway. Outside the golden gates, the Mist fluttered around. It was sad how those who lived in the Mist couldn’t see the bright sun.</p><p>Chanyeol ran his hand through Baekhyun’s hair, “It’s so calming, right?”</p><p>Baekhyun hummed, giving Chanyeol a toothy smile.</p><p>“Definitely, my heir.” Baekhyun said, pressing his arm against Chanyeol’s, “I’ll never leave this place.”</p><p>“And I’ll stay where you will,” Chanyeol muttered before kissing Baekhyun’s lips, “Forever.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p>Dear Anna,</p><p>My beautiful girlfriend, Anna. Did you read the last essay I wrote on Magical Herbs and Irrational Effects of Poppies on Gnomes? If so, you still haven’t replied. I hope you soon do because I’ve written more letters. I guess this much of an introduction is enough. Let me catch you up. It’s happening. The Clan is stationed on the fields. They’re making everybody who lives there, move. The Academy is training people, calling students back, and it is chaos.</p><p>Yours,</p><p>Yixing.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>Dear Baekhyun,</p><p>There’s no point in using pseudonyms anymore because everything is coming to an end. The four days you promised us, have long passed by. In three days, it will be 21<sup>st</sup> December. Everything will burn. Where are you?</p><p>Yours,</p><p>Minseok.</p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>They were sitting on the bed, kissing each other, when Chanyeol’s hands moved to his thighs, grazing the clothed skin. Baekhyun parted his lips, desire clouding his mind. But then Chanyeol’s hand stopped, grasping onto something –</p><p>“What’s this?”</p><p>Baekhyun opened his eyes that he didn’t know were shut to the familiar scenery of Chanyeol’s face, and darkness around the satin-clad bed they were sitting in. He gazed down where Chanyeol’s hand was.</p><p>“What are you talking about?”</p><p>“There’s something in your pocket.”</p><p>Baekhyun frowned. He had never noticed it before. They had been wearing the same clothes, but the fabric never got dirty, just as the bed never got stained. He leaned a little up as Chanyeol fished a small cloth bag out of his pants. It smelt…different – lavender and cinnamon. There was a note on the bag which said, ‘To Baekhyun, my dear child, from Uncle Nicolas. End the cycle!’</p><p>“What?” Chanyeol frowned, “Baekhyun…is your name, right?”</p><p>Baekhyun gazed up, shocked that his lover didn’t remember his name, “Of course, I am-”</p><p>
  <em>Who are you?</em>
</p><p>“-Elijah.” Baekhyun widened his eyes, “No, I mean, I am Baekhyun.” He laughed nervously, staring around at the room, but there was nothing to look at, except the darkness that lined the walls. For the first time, he felt suffocated. He didn’t even know how the walls looked like, what the floor was made of…he couldn’t breathe. He turned back to Chanyeol and his eyes widened at the window further up from his head, letting in a sickly, sweet breeze and the cold, hazy sun.</p><p>He looked back onto the pouch, which was the only thing that made him feel…more alive. “Uncle Nicolas?” He looked at Chanyeol, whose eyes were…they looked different. In the dark-brown pupils he loved so much, flecks of hazel were floating, like lit embers. Images flashed through his mind – a lit, crackling fire, Chanyeol laughing, kissing, something about an aunt – Sehun’s aunt.</p><p>“The cycle,” Chanyeol gasped out, “There’s a cycle…isn’t there? Aurorian Myth.”</p><p>“Aurora, what are you-” He paused, looking at Chanyeol as if he was seeing him for the first time, “What’s your – who – who are you?”</p><p>The man in front of him gulped, staring at the darkness as if it was the scariest thing ever, “Baek, we need to run.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>They ran through the hallways holding onto each other’s hands. This time, they couldn’t let go. The darkness tagged behind him, the drumbeat to their violins.</p><p>“Where’s the exit?” Baekhyun shouted, the black cloak that had been lying on the bed, in his hands, “I want to go out! Why isn’t the door appearing?”</p><p>Unlike other times, the door didn’t manifest in front of him, no window appeared letting in the hazy, cold sunlight, no music played when he wanted it to. They ran away from the darkness, just like they’ve done numerous times before. They’ve avoided it, and like a switch, Baekhyun’s eyes fell onto his hands.</p><p>He was an elemental – a light elemental, while his lover could control fire. He turned towards the other boy, “Nerd. We – we need to run <em>towards </em>the darkness.”</p><p>“And die?” Chanyeol mocked. Fear was imminent in his eyes. Cold sweat beaded at his temple.</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, “We’ve – we’ve never tried to <em>see </em>where the darkness came from. We’ve never strayed there. Remember Crosswords? People never tried to go further up the fields, but we did – because we’re Aurorian-Veyshigi.”</p><p>Chanyeol’s mind seemed to be piecing things together. Baekhyun could see the fear subside in his eyes, and curiosity take over, “You’re right. We don’t know where the darkness comes from.”</p><p>They turned around. So far, they had only walked forward, but never had they stopped and took steps back. The darkness was blinding. Baekhyun tightened his hold onto Chanyeol’s hands.</p><p>“Whatever happens,” he calmed his breathing, “Don’t let go.”</p><p>“Never.” Chanyeol’s voice was small, but firm.</p><p>And that was all it took. They raced towards the darkness, hand in hand, scared but pushing ahead like a fire lighting up in a cold, dark night as phantom voices whispered in their ears.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Destitutus ventis, remos adhibe - If the winds fail you, use the oars</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>They didn’t stop until the voices stopped and they felt a fresh breeze stroke their faces. It was cold and earthy. Baekhyun opened his eyes, and he gasped.</p><p>“Chanyeol…we’re in the railway tunnel.”</p><p>Chanyeol looked around, awed, “How did we-”</p><p>“Magic,” Baekhyun said. It was the only explanation. It answered many questions; More questions than they could ask had the answer ‘magic,’ and that was beautiful, “What do we do now?”</p><p>Chanyeol pointed at the cloak, “First, we destroy that.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>It felt strange to use Luna after forgetting about its existence for so many days. The chant slipped out of his mouth perfectly, and the object shattered, leaving in its wake the whispers of those haunted voices that had consumed their existence back at the Fortress of Sins.</p><p>His heart pounded against his chest as he glanced at Chanyeol, who looked spent. In the past, the dents in their armour had been filled with the darkness brought about by the Mist. Now, there were bigger holes, and the horror of the Fortress occupied them. They were scarred, marked by their past and the present – marks they would carry to their future.</p><p>Baekhyun looked at the ivy walls on the right, “We can’t let the sun set.”</p><p>When they stepped out, they found that it was late afternoon. The sun was just dipping. The forest was eerily quiet. There were no pixies, no dwarfs, no fairies – were they still in the Fortress of Sins? Was it another game of the Mist? They didn’t know.</p><p>“What day is it?” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol, who quickly chanted under his breath. Baekhyun watched as the ground shimmered, until a newspaper sat on it. It was thinner than more editions. Chanyeol grabbed it. His eyes widened but he didn’t say a word. Baekhyun felt panic run through him. Was it too late? They couldn’t have been at the Fortress for more than a week, right? “Chanyeol?”</p><p>The taller boy exhaled, and turned towards him, “It’s 20<sup>th</sup> of December. We have about six hours to stop the cycle, Baekhyun.”</p><p>With those words, his heart sank, just like the sun which edged increasingly below. The Academy was far away. How were they ever going to make it? The answer came in terms of a familiar name.</p><p>
  <em>“Freisty!”</em>
</p><p>➸</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Sunday, 20 December (A few hours left)</strong>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>If by some miracle, everything turned out to be fine, Baekhyun should really become a dragon-rider. He guided Freisty at alarming speed, at which Chanyeol felt his lungs would burst out. With Baekhyun’s hands on Freisty’s neck, the red-scaled dragon swerved, and raced against the world, achieving maximum distance in minimum time. Chanyeol counted under his breath. The sun was sinking at an alarming rate. There were still two objects left – the crown of the clan leader…and Park Chanyeol, himself.</p><p>He wanted to smack himself for not questioning the Fortress, but he knew it wasn’t in his hands. That’s the way the place was designed to be. A dark, twisted horror dream. He held onto Baekhyun closer, feeling the warmth of his skin. He hadn’t felt warmth in a long time, and with the way things were moving, it didn’t seem like he’d experience warmth ever again. Trusting Baekhyun to get them to the Academy, he pressed his forehead against Baekhyun’s back and recalled all the great memories he had, the moments he wanted to treasure, and the hands he never wanted to let go of.</p><p>There were some pending things in his life – Yoora’s wedding, Jongdae’s child, his own love-story, his career as someone in science streams. He had suffered a lot and lived through quite many things…but he hadn’t had the opportunity to live for himself. He hadn’t experienced a kiss in the rain, or the weight of laurels on his coat on his graduation. He hadn’t met Baekhyun’s mother, Aisha, or ran with him through the fields the boy talked about so much.</p><p>He sighed. Thinking about it all won’t help him. Today, he had to rise again, stand up straight and prove himself as the heir of Aurora. Tonight, if dreams were reachable, then he’d dream…a lot.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Si vis pacem, para bellum - If you want peace, prepare for war</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>They heard the war before they saw it.  </p><p>Loud shouts, stern commands, shrill screams, helpless calls of numerous names, the clanging of swords, the bursting of an aqueduct. It must have been a wonder of magic that Baekhyun did not break down and cry. Or maybe, it was the touch of Chanyeol’s hand upon his.</p><p>“Until midnight, Baekhyun.” His eyes were shining as they descended. He brought his wand to Baekhyun, <em>“Carpe Diem!” </em>His body shimmered as silver plates hung onto his chest, a helmet wrapped around his head, and thigh-pads attached themselves to his feet. Baekhyun cast the same chant on Chanyeol. They stared at the crowds of grey-armoured Guards of Peace, and the black-dressed Clan of Viscaris.</p><p>Tonight, they weren’t fighting from any side. As soon as Freisty’s legs touched the ground, they had only one aim:</p><p>
  <em>Stop the war. Stop the cycle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Moriamur, et in media arma ruamus - Let us die, and let us rush into the middle of the battle</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>They waded through the crowd; there were students, battered and bruised, still fighting for their peace. On the side too, there were children, angry, fighting for what they believed was justice. A black-clad man brought his sword to Baekhyun, who cast a simple –</p><p>
  <em>“Game over!”</em>
</p><p>The sword dropped and the man kneeled in front of him, frozen. Baekhyun turned back, “Injure. Don’t kill!” For in front of his eyes was blood-shed that he turned away from, running quickly to find his friends. They probably weren’t at the battlefield, so Baekhyun eyed the Academy. He pointed towards it –</p><p>“Chanyeol! There.”</p><p>The heir nodded, holding his arm and they ran towards it, avoiding everybody and casting quick disarming chants wherever necessary. Once they reached the gates of the Academy, Chanyeol stood in front of him, pushing through the gathered crowd, and heading inside. Injured warriors lay on the ground, tended to by nurses.</p><p>“All of this…could be avoided if we just-” Baekhyun muttered, but he paused when he spotted Yixing. “Chanyeol, there.” Swerving across citizens, the wounded, and medics, they got to their friends, who sat among a group of nervous, fidgeting students. One of them stood up, pointing to Baekhyun with an accusing finger –</p><p>“It’s him! The betrayer!”</p><p>Baekhyun glared at the person, “Now is not the time. You do not know anything.”</p><p>Before the person could retort, Yixing had spotted them. Their friends stood up, and Baekhyun raced towards them. They had been in the war; it was obvious. They sported some cuts that Yixing was tending.</p><p>“Where – where the fuck were you guys?” Sehun growled out, holding Junmyeon’s hand, whose lips were blue. There was a thick gauze on his arm. Baekhyun peeled his eyes away.</p><p>“We’re sorry. The Fortress was worse than we expected.” He couldn’t help the bitterness that seeped into his voice, or the dark look that spanned on his face. His friends seemed to have sensed that it was something off-boundaries because they didn’t ask more.</p><p>“What do we do?” Kyungsoo asked, “There’s not much time left. We barely have two hours before midnight.”</p><p>Baekhyun bit his lip, “We need the crown of the leader. There’s no other way than attaining victory. That means…loss of lives.”</p><p>Yixing stood up, defiance raging in his eyes, “No. That isn’t necessary.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“Loss of lives is never the way,” Yixing stated, gazing at their faces before sighing, “We’ll – we’ll do it some other way. Right now, we need to stop the war – cause distractions, manipulate inventory. I – I know there’s not much time but…”</p><p>“So we don’t really have a plan,” Baekhyun sighed, feeling the sting of disappointment. He looked at Yixing, who didn’t have scars on him, and stripped himself of his armour and handed it to him, “I – I feel like you need it. You want to try something, don’t you?”</p><p>Yixing stared at the floor, “I have to try. But I need a huge distraction for it.”</p><p>Kyungsoo stood up, “Hey, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and I have freaky elemental powers. I’m sure it would be enough of a distraction.”</p><p>Jongin followed Kyungsoo, “And I’d help you move around.”</p><p>They looked back onto Junmyeon, who was guarded by Sehun, who glared at everybody who came his way. Jongdae was next to them, sitting silently, staring at a picture of his girlfriend.</p><p>“They didn’t force her,” Kyungsoo explained, “But Jongdae is a strong elemental. He had no other way than to come.”</p><p>“And what about Jongin?” Baekhyun asked, “I thought that you were in hiding.”</p><p>Kyungsoo grinned, “Well, nobody noticed him.”</p><p> </p><p>➸</p><p> </p><p>The light talk brightened Baekhyun’s spirits. He went towards the fields, where the battle was going on. Deadly lights glimmered in the dark as chants after chants were delivered from each side.</p><p>“That’s the leader,” Jongin pointed at a built man, dressed up in red with a shining, black and silver crown on his head, much like Baekhyun’s wand Luna. Jongin went on to explain the major characteristics – the troops, the grounds, the tents, before they formed a rough, poorly-detailed plan, “That’s the inventory tent.”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, looking at Chanyeol and Kyungsoo briefly. Chanyeol had let go of his armour and handed it to Jongin. He looked plain in his plaid shirt, black jacket, and glasses. Kyungsoo wore a black polo shirt and khaki pants. They held their wands in their hands – their pens, their swords, the string between life and death. They had about sixty-minutes before it all faded to black.</p><p>They sneaked into the crowd, drifting in and out, like shadows. Around him, warriors fought for what they believed in, they fell, they got up again. The bodies of the fallen were helped by their allies, who shouted war chants like it was the only thing they had ever learnt. The stench of sweat, blood, and mud mingled in a way that Baekhyun forgot that there were other scents. In here, everything seemed much more alive, even the dead. Passion fuelled through their veins, a fire that burnt brighter than the sun.</p><p>It was selfish of the sun to not rise and cast its soft glow upon all the warriors that fought tonight.</p><p>They crouched to the side-lines, small figures, walking towards the enemy camps. Baekhyun’s breaths were ragged, but he forced them to quieten down. There was no time to be afraid. The finish line was in front of him; he just had to stretch his arms further up. Somewhere in the crowd, Yixing and Jongin blurred amongst all the warriors. Back in the academy, lovers guided their loved ones.</p><p>Everybody fought for what they believed in.</p><p>As the tents came into sight, and Kyungsoo and Chanyeol nodded at him, Baekhyun realized what he believed in – it wasn’t deities, peace, justice, fear, truth, misery – no, he believed in <em>people. </em>Those who stood with him, and those that stood against him. Those who had helped him, and those who had stopped him.</p><p>“We have, like, thirty minutes left before midnight,” Kyungsoo eyed his watch, “Okay. Calm breaths.”</p><p>“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun ordered, “Do a countdown to five before we…cause a distraction.”</p><p>“Alright.”</p><p>
  <em>One.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun willed his powers to awaken. They tickled his veins, thumped through his blood, a familiar comfort.</p><p>
  <em>Two.</em>
</p><p>He strengthened their flow, gathering power inside him. Tonight, he had to be the brightest star in the sky. Tonight, he couldn’t settle for anything less than that.</p><p>
  <em>Three.</em>
</p><p>Baekhyun looked at the tents. There weren’t many people around, and he pleaded to heaven that whoever stood there cared more for their life than anything else.</p><p>
  <em>Four.</em>
</p><p>He glanced at his friends. They were ready. He was ready. The sky would feel guilty for turning its back on them. Destiny was a heavy weight draped on his shoulders, but he won’t run anymore. He would wear that weight like the cape of a king, ruling alongside his lover.</p><p>
  <em>Five.</em>
</p><p>There were no words left to say. There was not a thought he hadn’t already had before. All that was left now…was action.</p><p>He spread his arms towards the dark sky. His mother was a butterfly. He would become the sky she flew in. Light emitted from his fingers, and spread above the tent, sparkling, dark, colourful lights – a grand display of powers. He breathed through his nose, hanging his head back as the sky came alive with <em>his </em>light, spreading across, brighter than the brightest dawn. The earth rumbled, quivered, and shook. The tents collapsed, tons of inventories clashing against each other. Jagged lines cut through the perimeter. There was heat on his face, and he turned to see the biggest fire he’d ever seen, moving through the battlegrounds in controlled spikes.</p><p>He scanned the battlegrounds under his own light. Hundreds of faces, frozen in action and staring at the brightening sky, the shaking earth, the fire that snaked through the ground. Nobody moved. Nobody said a word. Standing on different sides of the battleground, they felt the same emotion: wonder. Baekhyun looked through all their faces, with a deep satisfaction as he emptied himself of all his energy.</p><p>But none of the bewildered faces in the battleground were the ones he was looking for.</p><p>As his light pushed the dark clouds away, letting light shine onto every warrior, he saw <em>them. </em>Shimmering in the middle of the field, Jongin and Yixing stood there. The leader of the clan was frozen, his eyes on the sky. He didn’t notice Yixing leaping up, grabbing his crown, before throwing it to the ground –</p><p>
  <em>“Sticks and stones may break your bones!”</em>
</p><p>Dark light and agonized screams filled the air. The warriors around that area parted away, as Jongin grasped Yixing’s hand, before zapping out of there, leaving white, shimmery matter in his wake.</p><p>“Fifteen minutes left,” Kyungsoo looked at them before his eyes widened in fear, “Baek-no!”</p><p>For they were no longer Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Elijah broke through his skin, a grin on his scarred face. Baekhyun felt Elijah’s happiness as he said –</p><p>“Finally.” He looked at Chanyeol, who opened his eyes as Viscaris. This time, the glasses couldn’t protect him. “Viscaris.”</p><p>His voice rumbled in a way that only a non-human’s would, for all the eyes were on. The battle paused, and they looked at the two deities, staring at each other, desiring blood to be spilt. From the edge of his vision, Baekhyun saw the rest of his friends stand at the side-lines. Kyungsoo had raced backwards, guilt and pain in his eyes.</p><p>Elijah struck at Viscaris, who blocked it easily, and jumped back. Elijah took another swing. Baekhyun watched the people; he watched the sky which was darkening again. He heard the shouts, the screams – everybody realized this was the finale. Because it sure felt like it. Elijah and Viscaris rounded each other, and Baekhyun saw Elan standing with his friends. His eyes were frozen with hurt. He was running towards them blindly. Baekhyun wanted to laugh – <em>love truly made people lunatics.</em></p><p>Everybody was worried, but Baekhyun wasn’t. He wouldn’t let the sky darken again. He looked at Chanyeol – not Viscaris – but his lover, his soulmate, his best friend, Park Chanyeol. Hidden beneath mismatched eyes, the hazel-flecked eyes burnt like embers, catching onto fire. The fire might cave into the frosty night, but the embers would still be alive.</p><p>
  <em>Chanyeol, are you thinking the same thing that I am?</em>
</p><p>Elijah might have taken control over his physical body, but he could never own him. Because the blood that ran through his veins was <em>his, </em>the thoughts that flickered in his mind were <em>his, </em>the love that comforted him, haunted him, and kept him going was <em>his.</em></p><p>
  <em>Baek.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nerd.</em>
</p><p>They couldn’t hear each other. They couldn’t see each other. But their hearts were tied. Above them, the sky was streaked with light. Below them, the ground was ablaze. As Kyungsoo’s whisper of ‘one-minute left…’ reached his ears, he smiled.</p><p>Elijah stilled. So did Viscaris.</p><p>Aurora had to exist alone.</p><p>Baekhyun lifted his flickering sword, while Chanyeol raised his scythe. Wordlessly, they struck the weapons into their own chests. There were screams, shouts, pleads. Shadowy light shot from Chanyeol’s chest, and he dissolved into darkness, while Baekhyun shattered into light. The last words he heard were the call of his own name by his father.</p><p>As his consciousness faded away, he couldn’t help but think – <em>had the sky and the ground always looked so beautiful? </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>8</h1><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Finis coronat opus - The end crowns the work</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Monday, 4 January, 2021</strong>
</p><p>Sehun sat in his lawn, sipping onto his jasmine and cinnamon tea, provided by Nicolas, who had moved back into the city, sharing a house with Professor Vaz, near Elan’s house and opened an herb shop. It had been two weeks since the incident. The next day was pure chaos. The war ended. Veyshigi people and Aurorians made peace. Viscaris breathed out his last in the cave alone, with the ghost of a smile on his face. He was free.</p><p>The newspapers were the thickest ever, explaining the entire myth, and the story. There had been many questions raised at the councils. For the first time, Aurorians had marched the city with the blood of curiosity in their veins.</p><p>Answers had been provided. They had come forward – all of them, who had been involved, and they had spoken. Two days later, a candle-lit march was performed for Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who had dealt with the most. Mr and Mrs. Park were crying, Yoora holding onto them. It was the first time everybody saw their Peacemaker, Elan, break down in public. Nicolas held onto him, like a good, old friend.</p><p>Nobody knew if Baekhyun and Chanyeol were alive. The way they had killed themselves had been spectacular, and promising that they were in fact…gone. But with no corpses to affirm themselves, the kingdom seemed to hold its breath. There had been a stark silence among everybody.</p><p>Baekhyun and Chanyeol had left the skies and earth shining so bright, but for once, people looked forward to the little stars who had given themselves up for the sun to shine. Sehun found himself looking around too, as if they’d suddenly appear, attached to the hips.</p><p>“What are you thinking about?” Junmyeon’s voice shook him out of his thoughts, and he smiled at his boyfriend.</p><p>“Just…stars.”</p><p>Junmyeon smiled too, his eyes filled with melancholy as he sat across Sehun, gazing at the sky. He understood. All of them understood. But understanding didn’t bring them any sort of acceptance.</p><p>“It’s a warm day for January, isn’t it?” Junmyeon said, “It’s like the sun is shining on all of us.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Credo quia absurdum – I believe because it is absurd</em>
</p><p>
  <em>➸</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He awoke in a cave, covered with ivy on either side. Yawning, he stood up from the bench he was sitting on, only to notice that he wasn’t alone. Sitting beside him was a tall, well-built man, with chocolate curls that fell in his eyes. His glasses threatened to slip down his nose, so Baekhyun reached out and fixed them, but the man’s eyes snapped open, and Baekhyun was entranced by the utter beauty of them: cocoa orbs with hazel flecks in them, as beautiful as embers of a fire.</p><p>The man blinked, and Baekhyun realized just how weird he must look. He backed away, a smile on his face. He was happy, flying on some sort of fluffy dream that he was certain wouldn’t crash. It felt like love.</p><p>
  <em>Come on, Baekhyun. You just met him. You can’t be in love with him.</em>
</p><p>But as ridiculous as it was, that was exactly the case. The man smiled at him and stood up to his full height. Baekhyun tilted his chin to look at him; he was a tower. They stared at each other, and Baekhyun was certain that the man felt the same emotions he did; love, adoration, comfort, home. Even though, they were in a strange cave, they didn’t question where to go, because right now, right here, they were at home.</p><p>“It might come off as weird since I don’t know you,” the man started, cutely rubbing his nape, “But I’m in love with you.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s lips tugged up in the biggest smile, his eyes turning into crescents. He watched the man gulp and mutter ‘pretty’ underneath his breath.</p><p>“I think – no, I’m sure I’m love with you, too.”</p><p>“Oh – okay.”</p><p>It felt like something was missing. They stared awkwardly at each other before the man bent to his knees –</p><p>“This may sound weirder but…will you marry me?”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes widened. His heartbeat drummed against his chest. He felt his chest squeeze, and release and <em>goodness, he was so in love. </em>He would! Of course, he would but –</p><p>“I would’ve said yes.” The man’s face fell, and Baekhyun’s heart <em>hurt,</em> “But I don’t know who you are.”</p><p>“Park Chanyeol – that is who I am,” the man smiled at him, “I like reading books, playing music, doing scientific experiments. I like tangy food. My favourite flowers are Irises. My favourite person is you.”</p><p>Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh out heartily at the man’s antics. Chanyeol got up and plucked a lone flower growing in the cave.</p><p>“And who are you?” Chanyeol asked, kneeling, and offering the flower to him, which he took with a dazzling smile. His heart was light, and his cheeks were warm from smiling.</p><p>“I’m Byun Baekhyun.” He played with the petals of the flower. It was beautiful. He didn’t want to move. He wanted to stay in this cave with Park Chanyeol, talk with him, kiss him, and love him. Before he could morph those thoughts into words, there was a shrill whistling and they turned towards the left ivy entrance. Baekhyun didn’t find it weird that a literal steam-engine was coming through, pulling behind it few carriages. It sent up smoke, and steam, before settling. The latch on the door fell, and the door opened.</p><p>Baekhyun turned towards Chanyeol, offering him his hand, “Say, we go on a long train-ride and find out about each other, before I marry you?”</p><p>Chanyeol grinned, accepting his hand, “I would love that.”</p><p>They shared a last look, staring into each other’s eyes that brimmed with happiness and love, before stepping onto the train. The door shut, the engine warmed up, and SOL-LOVE took off, carrying in it two people who just couldn’t let go of each other’s hands, or stop smiling. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. EPILOGUE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>EPILOGUE</h1><p>Baekhyun put his umbrella down. It had been raining all day, but now, the sun rays broke through, lighting the cemetery in a beautiful glow. Elan, who had been holding his hand ever since they entered here, smiled at him –</p><p>“Should we leave now? Or do you want to talk to her more?”</p><p>Baekhyun stared at the tomb on which the name Byun Nabi was written. He loved coming here once a week with Elan, and updating her about his life, which had been moving quickly. After Chanyeol and he returned to Crosswords, there was tons of drama, so many people wanting to talk to them, but Elan stood as a shield and protected them. Baekhyun moved in with Elan, officially, a citizen of Crosswords. His mornings started with tea with Nicolas and Elan, afternoons spent with his friends, and nights went by talking to Chanyeol. Just a month before, he had gone back to the fields, with Chanyeol, and he had asked Aisha to come to Crosswords. She had agreed, and now, she helped Nicolas with his popular herb shop. It was a peaceful life – oh, other than one factor. Two weeks ago, Chanyeol had announced that he had no plans of being the next Peacemaker, and thus, he had passed the responsibly down to Baekhyun.</p><p>
  <em>I’d be his smarter counterpart. But I can’t be a ruler.</em>
</p><p>The people had agreed, and Baekhyun had given in. He didn’t mind it because he believed in people. The Academy would reopen a few months later. Till then, he had plenty of time to heal. He went to the woods to talk to Ivy, calmed Jongdae after every doctor visit, helped Chanyeol plan out Yoora’s wedding, and spent time with his father – Elan.</p><p>In the end, he didn’t resent him at all. Elan had committed mistakes, but he was trying to make up for it. He sat down and talked to Baekhyun at every dinner, a heart-to-heart conversation. He told Baekhyun his favourite stories and narrated his childhood to his son, who listened with eyes filled with wonder. He talked about love and his mom. They did cute things too – like the time they had tried baking, and called Nicolas over, and ended up flour everywhere. Aisha had scolded them badly, after which, they were careful while fooling around.</p><p>His family was weird, different than what people generally pictured when they said a ‘lovely family.’ But Baekhyun’s family was filled with love. He had a lot of love in his heart that he shared with other people, and all this love only grew. The scars he had received won’t be gone overnight, but the sun came back up every day too.</p><p>“No,” Baekhyun answered, “Let’s go back.”</p><p>Waiting outside the cemetery was <em>one </em>sun that never set, his personal one. Chanyeol stood there, in blue jeans and another one of his plaid shirts, grinning at him.</p><p>“Baek.”</p><p>Baekhyun smiled at Elan, nudging him to leave them alone. His father complied, rolling his eyes as he left. He was bitter about Baekhyun being heads over heels already for a person, but he treated Chanyeol like his own son.</p><p>“Nerd.” He teased, before running into Chanyeol’s open arms. His warmth encased him, and Baekhyun giggled as Chanyeol dropped a lazy kiss onto his forehead, followed with a soft peck on his lips.</p><p>“Say, Baek. Aren’t you getting bored of lazing around?” Chanyeol wriggled his eyebrows. He had another one of his plans that were either going to be the best blast ever or the worst disaster ever, but if it was with Park Chanyeol, Baekhyun would happily sign up for both.</p><p>He hummed, tilting his head back, “Maybe I am.”</p><p>“Let’s go on a dragon-ride. What do you say?”</p><p>Baekhyun grinned and smacked Chanyeol’s arm, “You <em>know </em>I’d never say no to dragon-riding.” He encased Chanyeol’s hand into his own, and tugged them further up the street, “Freisty!”</p><p>They laughed as they raced towards endless possibilities under the bright, warm sun.  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi, </p><p>Congratulations! You have completed this huge monster. Did you like it? What were your favourite parts? Which scene made you think I'm completely insane? Haha, this was BIG, and HARD to write. But I had so much fun with it, I hope you enjoyed reading it too. Did this make your list of favourite fics? Am I getting too ahead of myself? Skjksjds, we'd never know. </p><p>Well, we'd never know until you let me. So, please don't be shy, and comment a lot!! I want to hear what you think, because you guys are genius readers. Most of this fic has been written with extreme trust in your abilities as a reader to understand. So...I hope you liked it! Let me know, pleaseeeeeeeee. </p><p>Love, </p><p>Feather (iexoeris)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>